If You Want to Destroy my Sweater...
by DizmiusArtistius
Summary: Continuation of Blackened Days and Second to Go. basically full of prank pulling and MWPP flashbacks * FINISHED (FINALLY)*
1. Default Chapter

If you Want to Destroy my Sweater....  
  
A/N- what an odd title.... oh well lets start where Blackened days left off shall we? Okay so you'll need to read that and Second to Go to understand this. lets give a brief overview of whats happened. Sirius has been freed, Fudge was killed, so was Draco (:O) An Auror by the name of Edea DuCruet was put in the placement of DADA teacher. Her and Sirius have er... "history". Big fight between death eaters and O of P on Azkaban island, Voldemort got toppled off a cliff. The endie.  
  
Right, this fic's mostly going to be flashbacks and things.... i'll tell you when a f-b is and isn't...  
**************************************  
  
"So she's not concussed?"   
  
"Not anymore, but if she's grouchy, just bear with her, alright?" Madam Pomfrey said in her most authoritive voice.  
  
"Yessir!" Sirius saluted and goose-stepped out of the door.  
  
Hary Ron and Hermione weren't in the Gryffindor commonroom, which Sirius found a bit odd, where else could they be... Hagrid was on a trip to the giants in Sweden, so they wouldn't be in his hut... Sirius shrugged and started climbing through the portrait hole... when he saw it. 'James Potter rules this portrait hole, all bow down to him and surrender your galleons...' was scratched into the stone. Sirius grinned sadly, remembering him writing that, he looked down a bit and saw 'Sirius Black, chief mischief maker to King Potter second that statement.' and 'Remus Lupin, chief treasurer, thirds that. Peter Pettigrew, chief biscuit hoarder carries that motion.'  
Pulling out a knut from his pocket, Sirius scratched over Peter's bit. Happy, he climbed through and walked off down the corridor whistling to himself, grinning at random students, who compulsively walked closer to the walls when passing him, it looked like they'd heard about his 'reputation' or were just still scared that he was a murderer. Well, in theory, after the Azkaban fight, he was. But so was everyone else who was there. He thought about that for a moment, everyone wasn't there. There was someone missing. Peter was missing.  
  
Edea was away, attending trials, namely those of Lucius Malfoy and The Crabbes. And that meant Sirius had free run of her office until she came back. Not that she knew about any of that though. Remus was stepping in as the part time teacher for the lessons she would be away from teaching, and that meant there was fun to be had there too. He let out a laugh. This was just gong to be too funny to believe. But first... he needed to know if Remus still had the key to their vault in gringotts.   
***  
  
  
Sirius was delving through the pockets of Remus' cloaks on the back of the door... he'd found some very 'interesting' things but no key. Then he proceeded to go through every single item of clothing he could find. It was quite interesting what Sirius found as he went through Remus' cases and bags. "OoOOoooohH!" He smiled as he pulled out some photos, "Remus, old buddy, you have a girl... a... whoa... some photos these are... never knew you had it in you."  
  
He put the photos aside as he found a small wooden box, opening it he found an array of keys.  
"Right...well that helps." Sirius said unconvincingly, as he picked up one at random. It burst into flames in his hands. "Not those types then." He picked up a small bronze key with a number inscribed on the side. "Gotcha." He smiled taking a pinch of Floo Powder from the mantlepiece and threw it into the flames... "Diagon Alley!" He said as he stepped into the flames.  
****  
  
  
  
Remus watched the last few Ravenclaw students disappear out the door before finally siting down on his desk and drinking a sip of Wolfsbane potion. He scowled, it tasted disgusting. He would bet anything that Severus Snape added something to make it taste that bad. Sometimes he wished taht he could have just been an ordinary muggle unaware of the wizarding world and all that it encompassed. But then he thought of all the fun he had had as a little wizard and soon gave up on the "i wanna be a muggle" phase. Placing the empty goblet down on the desk, he walked out of the room, closing the door neatly behind him.  
****  
  
  
  
"And you plead not guilty?" The judge asked a fuming Lucius Malfoy..  
  
"Like i said." Lucius gave his best pity-me look. "He-who-must-not-be-named had my son under the imperio curse, i had to go along wih him or i would lose my beloved Draco."  
  
Up in the audience Narcissa gave a loud sob.  
  
"Indeed, Mister Malfoy, is that your final statement?"  
  
"It is. I have never been a part of You-Know-Who's gang of hoodlums, but to protect my son, which in the end proved to be in vain, i had to play along."  
  
"Yet you killed many of the best Aurors?" The prosecuting lawyer stood up, "Surely if you were there only to protect your son you would not have been so thorough with the killing spree? I ask you, surely you could have aimed off-target?"  
  
"I was standing next to the man himself, it would have been impossible." Lucius was beginning to sense a flaw in his plans...  
  
Edea stood up, "If Draco was, as you say under Voldemort's command..." The members in the room flinched, "He would not have commanded your son to walk out relatively helpless into the middle of a battle? He would have wanted all the support he could get and sacrificing a very able boy is no way to go about it..."  
  
"ARE YOU SAYING MY SON WOULD DO THAT ON HIS OWN ACCORD?" Lucius bellowed, "How DARE you!"  
  
"We have to look at it from all angles, Mr. Malfoy." The judge said quietly.   
****  
  
  
  
Siius amiled happily as he came out of Gringotts holding a few large boxes. He entered the leaky couldron's fire and was back at hogwarts in no time. It looked like Remus hadn't been back in yet, and it was just as well really, because his clothes were all over the place. Sirius pointed his wand at the clothes- "Ordinato su" All the clothes zoomed back into the boxes cases and drawers that they came from and the room looked just like it had before the Sirius hurricane had attacked it.  
  
He sat down on the bed and opened the boxes.  
****  
  
  
  
Harry, Ron and Hermione were stuck in the middle of a horrendously boring Potions class, as per usual Snape was ridiculing Neville's lack of ability to concoct anything resembling the potion he had told them to make. In truth, Pansy Parkinson's looked no different, but that wasn't the point according to Snape.  
  
"Potter? How many times do i have to tell you that you only add one cupful of eye of rat?"  
  
"Well." Hary started, "You havent' told me that yet..."  
  
"ten points from gryffindor, how dare you answer back to me?"  
  
Harry wasn't listening, he was watching the blackboard with great interest, as a picture of Snape asleep on the floor of the great hall with fluffy pink slippers on his feet was taking form.  
  
Snape looked round and went three shades of red as he saw the photo. "POTTER!" He shouted, "I demand to know your reason for this,"  
  
"Having trouble, Severus?" Remus poked his head round the door, "I heard you screaming, and i thought maybe there was some calamity..."  
  
"YOU!" Snape snarled, pointing at the board. Remus just looked blank, it was a forced expression of blankness, and ven Snape could se he was trying not to laugh.   
  
"I never knew you had such an affinity for such clothing." Remus said sincerely, "I shall make a mental note for Christmas."  
  
Snape sneered at Remus' retreating figure. Harry had a feeling he knew who was behind all this, and from the lokks that he received from Ron and Hermione, they agreed with him.  
  
As soon as the bell rang they ran out o the classroom and harry pulled out the marauder's map to locate Sirius... 


	2. Well, you put one foot infront of the ot...

If you Want to Destroy my Sweater....  
  
part deux.  
*************************************  
  
"Lucius Malfoy, you are sentenced to ten years imprisonment in Azkaban for your involvement with the late Lord Voldemort." The judge said loudly, the crowd in the gallery were looking stonily at Lucius who looked horrified.  
  
"Take him to his new home." The judge told the dementors who led Lucius Malfoy away.  
  
"Well. That took a while." Edea said to Moody who was sitting next to her.   
  
"Better late than never." Mad-Eye said gruffly. "Got what he deserved finally."  
  
"You know, we're basically out of a job now."  
  
"Never out of a job, believe me. Someone else'll have delusions of grandeur soon enough." Moody stood up, his wooden leg thumping on the stairs.   
****  
  
  
  
Sirius sat on Remus' bed looking through boxes upon boxes of photos and other little trinkets.  
Harry knocked on the door, then poked his head round, Sirius looked up and grinned, "Heya." he said, "Did you have fun in potions?"  
  
"It was you wasnt it!" Hermione sounded patronising again.  
  
"Of course." Sirius said, "Wasn't that a bit too obvious?"  
  
"Snape knows its you too." Ron said still smiling at the memory of those fetching fluffy slippers. "I wonder if he still wears them..."  
  
"We could find out." Sirius's eyes glinted. "Should be a great deal of fun..."  
  
"I don't think that'd be a good idea.." Hermione wrung her hands, "If you got caught..."  
  
"We WONT get caught." Sirius said smoothly. "Done it loads of times."  
  
"What're you looking at?" Harry asked pointing to the boxes.  
  
"i was wondering when you'd ask." Sirius handed him a box. "The marauder's vault is officialy in use again."  
  
"When were these..."  
  
"Ages ago, they vary from Hogwarts second year to new year 1980." Sirius picked up another photo, "See here, this is your mum on a bad day." He showed Hary a photo that had Lily shaking her fist angrily up at them.  
Sirius and Harry spent ages looking at them, until they looked up and saw Ron and Hermione had gone. Sirius unlocked another small wooden box, and picked up a few objects. "Looks like James couldn't bear to part with the Snitch. I always wondered what the sports teacher thought when they lost this." A small golden snitch floated around the room. It lookd slightly worse for wear.  
"he stole the snitch?"  
  
"Yeah," Sirius shrugged, "They needed a new one anyway... Hey see this- this was our graduation ceremony, see the person getting their results? That's Remus."  
  
"Who's wearing the leather trousers... Sirius is that you?" Harry pointed to the back of somone in the crowd with long black hair.  
  
"Yep. Don't they look classic." Sirius grinned, "I really liked those. i wonder where they are now."  
  
"I do NOT want to know." Harry said smiling, "How could you wear them?"  
  
"Everybody did... Well okay, me and James did, Remus didn't want to and... Peter well, he couldnt FIT in any, i seem to remember Severus Snape having a pair that didn't cover his ankles..."  
  
"Grim."  
  
"Tell me about it, you didn't need to see it everyday." Sirius rolled his eyes.  
  
"WHere was this taken?... Is that me?" Hary pointed at another, larger picture of the entire group on a beach somewhere.  
  
"Yes that's you." Sirius leaned back, smiling to himself, "We all rented this cottage, and spent a very nice week doing absolutely nothing. Played Quidditch on the sand, ate way too much ice-cream... You were like, a few months old. Yelling all the time."  
  
Harry picked up a leather bound book with the initials JP in the corner. "can i take this?"  
  
"Sure, i'm sure its full of dirty stories and plots. You'd probably learn a lot from it." Sirius grinned to himself. Remembering the rubbish he and James used to write in their diaries.  
****  
  
  
  
Edea walked through a dimly lit corridor, when a voice calls out from behind her. "Fancy meeting you here."  
  
"Pettigrew?" Edea looks around but cannot see anything, "What are you doing in Knockturn alley?"  
  
"What are you doing in Knockturn alley?" Peter returned the question.  
  
"Business." Edea said quietly, "needs to be taken care of, and it looks like you've just added to that business."  
  
"Is that what i am now?" Peter sounded folorn, "I'm your friend."  
  
"I think you're neglecting the past tense there, mate." Edea grinned slightly. "You really think you're a worthy match for an auror?"  
  
"You can't see me. And what you can't see can hurt you more than you can imagine."  
  
"That's a fairly long sentence for a man of such small brain, how long did that take you to convolute?" Edea was purposefully winding him up, if he attacked with his wand, she could see where the sparks came from.  
  
"You always picked on me, you Sirius and James, always blamed me for plans gone wrong, when you got caught, it was always Peters fault." Peter almost whined.  
  
"If you weren't so ruddy pathetic." Edea rolled her eyes. "So you're telling me that all that was what turned you to Voldemort?"  
  
"What could i gain by not accepting him?"  
  
"A decent life, support from your friends, love maybe."  
  
"Noone ever loved me,"  
  
"So?" Edea started walking away, "You're just not worth the time."  
  
"How can you walk away from me?"  
  
"Well you know, its a very rudimentary thing, you put one foot in front of the other and keep doing so..."  
  
"You're not even going to kill me?"  
  
"Nope." Edea shrugged, "I'll let Sirius do that. Because i know how much he wants to..."  
  
Edea disapparated, and Wormtail came out of the shadows, shaking slightly.  
****  
  
  
"You're saying he's in Knockturn alley somewhere?" Snape's head said from the fire.  
  
"i am." Edea nodded.  
  
"Do you want me to come help you find him?"  
  
"No." Edea shook her head. "I let him walk away."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"I felt like it, he's no match for an auror and he knows it, he didn't even try to attack."  
  
"Edea..." Snape frowned, "Do you think this is wise?"  
  
"Why shouldn't i?" Edea threw another handful of powder at the fire and it turned normal again. She climbed back out of the house she'd broken into and disapparated.  
****  
  
  
  
-So anyway, we rigged the Slytherin common room with dungbombs to explode when a person passed a certain 'trigger'. Was so funny. Got to remember that scene forever, and what was funnier? the look on Sirius' face when he realised we'd swapped all his clothes with Snape's. lily taught me that charm. Very useful, never knew he looked so childishly innocent in green silk pyjamas with snakes on the hem. Eddie got her own back or that when we'd gone to sleep. Her and Lils must have sneaked into our dorm or something. I was wearing that foul Slytherin Narcissa Zytinski's lace nightie when i got up. Needless to say there are photos now circulating the school of that.-   
Harry was reading his father's diary. It was cheering him up immensely. He'd never been told how much of a prankster his father was-  
  
**FLASHBACK**  
"PADFOOT!" James screeched, "What have you done to me you weirdo!"  
  
Sirius looked up from his bed sleepily, and exploded with laughter. "Wasn't me...ehheheeheehee." he laughed.  
  
"Very fetching." Remus smiled knowingly, he'd been awake when the girls had sneaked in and had watched them to make sure they did nothing to himself. "Really suits you."  
  
"You know, i liked the shorts i was wearing... does that mean Narcissa's wearing them?" James sounded horrified.   
  
Sirius was now wheezing with laughter, finding it difficult to breathe. "So.. funn... funny."  
  
"Ooooh, wait. I know who did this." James suddenly twigged. "That girlfriend of yours, Miss Holier than thou DuCruet."  
  
"She's not holier than thou, just needs a good ego bashing now and then." Sirius said, still grinning.  
  
"She's going to regret this. I need a plan." James sank onto his duvet, still wearing the nightie.  
****END****  
  
  
-The plan backfired, Sirius was wearing his guilty face and Edea must have guessed something was up. Got our NEWT results this morning. Failed arithmancy rather spectacularly... totally not my fault. Got full marks for the rest. Even Sirius got Grade A in potions, which is something to behold the wonder of... Lily's going round with that smug face, got fullm arks for EVERYTHING. Argh, how infuriating is that? beaten by your own girl. Found Sirius' rubber duck just now, must have some fun with this. CAnt believe he has a bath duck. Maybe he's stolen it from Peter. Or, more likely he's charmed it to record conversations and he drops it in the girls dorms. yeah, thats' more like it.-  
  
Harry made a mental note to ask Sirius about that.  
****  
  
  
  
"Evening oh wonderer of the storm." Sirius said as Edea came in, her travelling cloak soaking wet.  
  
"Hey Paddy." Edea dropped her cloak on the floor and kicked her boots across the room. "I have something very interesting to tell you..."  
  
"Really?" Sirius wiggled his eyebrows, "Are you pregnant, cuz if you are that'd be cool..."  
  
Edea gave him an exasperated look. "No, i am NOT. It's about Peter."  
  
"Oooh, that's not as interesting, but i'm listening." Sirius sat up  
  
"I met him today, in Knockturn alley."  
  
"What?" Sirius stood up, "You killed him right?"  
  
"No, i let the opportunity slide." Edea shrugged.  
  
"Damn you... hang on, what were you doing in knockturn alley?"  
  
"Business." Edea said stating firmly that he was unwelcome to probe further.  
  
"So?"  
  
"he was being pathetic, didn't even blow sparks in my direction, i tod him you were after him, and left." Edea picked a picture up off the floor. "My god, does my bum look that big?"  
  
Sirius grabbed the picture, "What are you talking about, its tiny, its edea sized, big.. pfff, you girls are so obsessed." he rolled his eyes. "You dont see us doing that."  
  
"I have interesting information that proves otherwise."  
  
"Don't tell me, please i want to preserve the tatters of my dignity." Sirius mock weeped. "You seen Remus this evening?"  
  
"Nope."  
  
"Oh." Sirius lookd slightly put out. "He said he'd met me here and we'd go to the pub."  
  
"Fun." Edea said unenthusiastically, "I have papers to mark."  
  
"I think my evening is going to be more exciting than yours." Sirius said grabbing his wand before disappearing out of the door.   
  
"Bye to you too." Edea sank down in her chair, then stood up as she felt something sharp, it was a small jeweller's box, curiosity-hyped, she opened it...  
  
  
TBC... not a cliffhanger, well not really.... 


	3. Youre supposed to be the creme de la cre...

If you Want to Destroy my Sweater....  
  
part troix  
*************************************  
  
"Moony!" Sirius ran up to Remus who was sitting by the lake, feeding the giant squid.  
  
"Padfoot, that you?" Remus looked round and stood up, "you coming then?"  
  
"Definitely." Sirius pulled his friend across the grass to the gates.  
  
"Need a drink that badly do you?" remus laughed,   
  
"Oh yes." Sirius nodded solemnly,   
  
"Let's go then, make the most of it."  
  
"That's the spirit." Sirius grinned.  
****  
  
  
Harry watched out of the dormitory window as Sirius dragged his friend across, he smiled weakly.  
"Exploding snap anyone?" Seamus called out, "Or we could do exploding poker..."  
  
"I'm up for poker." Ron said, "Harry?"  
  
"Alright, but you'll have to explain the rules." Harry sat down in the space Seamus had chosen for the poker table between the beds and got absorbed in the game until...  
  
"HARRY!" Hermione exclaimed, "You're not gambling are you?"  
  
"yeah." Ron laughed, "With matchsticks..."  
  
"It's the principle." Hermione said stiffly.  
  
"yes Percy." Ron grinned, "Just cuz you're not playing."  
  
Hermione shook her head and walked out, with Crookshanks following at her heels.  
****  
  
  
Edea opened the box. It was empty. She sighed, reading the golden lettering on the silk, which was 'Jeffernella's Jewellers, 11 Diagon Alley.'  
  
"Oh Sirius." She moaned, "Leave the box, won't you."   
  
She pulled out the first sheet of parchment from the file, reading the homework on grindylows she had set the second years...  
****  
  
  
"yeah, i went to our vault too." Sirius gestured with his drink which splashed over the table.  
  
"Oh?"  
  
"Photos, millions of them." Sirius grinned into his beer. "Good times."  
  
"You took a while in gringotts then."  
  
"Didn't just go there." Sirius put down his pint. "Went to the jewellers too."  
  
"Oh?" Remus grinned, "Bought youself a gold plated dog tag with 'Padfoot' inscribed in fancy lettering?"  
  
"Thought about it." Sirius nodded, "I might, or i might bribe Edea to get one for my birthday."  
  
"Puppy dog eyes, never fails."  
  
"And to think i can actually do that literally." Sirius noted.  
  
"So if it wasn't a dog tag?"  
  
"Ring, Moony. I got a ring."  
  
Remus raised an eyebrow, "I didn't think you were the kind of person to wear rings, i mean i always knew you wore that necklace that resembled a piece of string..."  
  
"It was a pendant!" Sirius said indignantly. "The ring's not for me, its for Edea."  
  
"Ohhh. You gonna ask her in the great hall infront of everybody just to see the look of daggers on her face?" Remus drained his pint and ordered another. "You gonna show me?"  
  
"Got it right here in my.... oh sh*t..." Sirius searched all the pockets in his cloak getting slightly frantic... "i took it out of the box... oh no, i left the box in her room..."  
  
"Padfoot, calm down, the box is empty right?"  
  
"yeah, but that just ruins my day, she'll find the box, and cuz i've lost the ring its like... anticlimax..." Sirius moaned, "I am totally useless."  
  
"No, you're not Totally useless, just marginally."  
****  
  
  
Severus Snape was pacing the corridors when he saw a golden ring glinting in the setting sunlight, bending down he picked it up. "How odd." He murmured. "Yet strangely beautiful..."  
He put the ofending article in his pocket and walked on, shouting at the odd student as suited him.  
****  
  
  
Harry was out on the Quidditch pitch whn he saw Sirius running towards him...  
"Sirius!" Harry glided down to the earth.  
  
"Harry, i have a problem." Sirius fidgeted, he hated admitting to problems, they ruined his image somewhat. He could have sworn his godson had grinned at him when he said that.  
  
"Yeah?" Harry asked.  
  
"Tell me if you see a ring hanging round the castle will you? Just dont give it to Eddie, its very important..." Sirius said whilst scanning the ground around him... "This is SO not good."  
  
"Sirius?" Harry caught his attention, "I don't like to say this... but you're supposed to be the creme dela creme of cool pranksters, and right now? you're acting more like yoghurt."  
  
Sirius shot Harry a dirty look. "THANK YOU." he said grinning. "That was quite a good one actually, i'll remember to use that sometime."  
****  
  
  
Remus burst into Edea's office suddenly, "Eddie!" he panted, "Hi."  
  
"Don't call me EDDIE." Edea didn't even look up from her pieces of parchment,  
  
"I've er.. lost my cloak pin, i think i might have left it in here.. is it alright to check the floor?"  
  
"Course." Edea nodded, "Just don't mind me if i keep marking,"  
  
"No problems." Remus sank down to his knees putting his head to the floor and searching across for the ring.  
  
"Er... Remus?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"If you've lost your cloak pin, why is it on your cloak?"  
  
Remus looked down onto his shoulder, seeing his platinum pin plainly in view... "Er.. this isn't mine, its... its Sirius', i'm just borrowing it because i lost my other one..."  
  
"You're lying." Edea said without looking at him.  
  
"How do you know?"  
  
"I'm trained to know this sort of stuff." Edea looked up at him, and grinned. "Is this by any chance what you're looking for?" Edea handed him the box.  
  
"If its empty, then no." Remus said, "But i'll take it anyway if thats' okay."  
  
"Sure." Edea shrugged, "Tell Sirius i hope he finds it."  
  
"Erm, yes." Remus frowned as he walked out of the door, walking quickly down the corridor to the staff room, still scanning the floor.  
  
"Moony?" Sirius came running up, "Any luck?"  
  
"I have good news and bad news, i have the box but no ring."  
  
Siris hit the wall with his hand, "arrrrrrrrgh." He grasped his hand which was now in a great deal of pain. "hang on..." He pointed at the distant figure of Snape, who was holding something glittery in his palm, "is that what i think it is?"  
  
"Oh dear." Remus could see what was going to happen... "Sirius... don't do.."  
  
Sirius had walked up to Snape and started yelling, "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING WITH MY RING?"  
  
Snape sneered, "A fetish for women's jewellery, Black? I always thought Azkaban did something to your head, but maybe you were always like that."  
  
Sirius was not in a good mood, partly brought on by too much drink, patly because he rarely failed, and he hated to fail infront of Snape of all people. "Yes well, who would have guessed you wore luffy slippers and other such bed-wear... and yes i DO still have the stash of photos."  
  
Snape was par-boiling by this time.  
  
"Ohh, watch it, you go any more angry and the grease will start sizzling... hey, then we could like.. fry sausages on it." Sirius was grinning now, "A real camp fire... CAMP being e operative word in that sentence."  
  
  
"WHAt the hell is going on?!" Edea stormed out of her office.  
  
"Well, baby." Sirius started, "I was going to ask you to marry me, but im having trouble getting ol' Severus here to part with the ring."  
  
Edea raised her eyebrow, "Okay, this is so not what i wanted to hear. Sort it out...NOW."  
  
Snape merely glared at her,   
  
"Or would you like to be flat out on the floor again?" Edea pointed her finger at him, "It wasn't even a hard punch, really..."  
  
Snape threw the ring at Sirius, who caught it deftly.  
  
"Good catch." Remus nodded, "You should be seker on the teacher's quidditch team."  
  
"Not a teacher." Sirius shrugged.  
  
"That's a flaw..." Remus agreed. "Oh well."  
  
"Okay, i'm oging to go to bed, and you two are going to sort youselves out..." Edea sighed walking back up to her office, slamming the door behind her.  
  
"You know who she reminds me of?" Remus mused, "Hermione, Harry's friend."  
  
Sirius looked amused. "As far as i've heard Hermione gave Malfoy a good slap a few years back."  
  
"So i've heard." Remus agreed. "So, what are you going to do now?"  
  
"Huddle in a corner and weep over my failure." Sirius said mockingly, "No, i'm going to be me. I'll do things my way."  
  
"I pity Eddie." Remus said quietly, "if you're going to burst out into some tacky song..."  
  
"Uhm... no." Sirius wrinkled his nose, "i dont sing. i tend to warble off key."  
  
"I know."  
  
"Action plan ring is now in action."  
  
"That was an awful sentence."  
  
"Thank you." Sirius rolled his eyes.  
  
  
  
TBC-   
thank you to.... right here we go, list of names and comments...  
  
sweets- thank you! yes i'll make it formal, i just like running them round in circles, if you want formal, the next chapter you will like...  
Arianwen- hehehe, i'm glad you like it, yes we must start that story!  
kat&gilly- i think you know what the box is now! hehehe thanks.  
cherry- someone recognised the title! yay!  
nekomi- i am writing more, lots more! thank you for support!  
vmr- thanks, i'll keep writing fora s long as i have ideas, which may be quite a while...  
  
everyone else who reviewed the other two stories in prequels to this- thanky ooo!  
  
i must finish the trick is to keep breathing some time soon. damn, totally stuck on that one. 


	4. duh duh duuuuuuuuh! duvet attack!

If you Want to Destroy my Sweater....  
i'm going to do a MWPP era yearbook sometime soon, should be great fun! ehehheehe!  
  
this was inspired by my ungracious falling out of bed this morning....  
part fier  
*************************************  
  
  
  
It wasn't even the first of September yet, but lessons had started a month early due to what was now called the 'Azkaban Dilemma'. The students were pouring in, in droves, when the time actually came for the "official" start of term, Hary got the usual load of first years pointing and whispering whne he went past, being in the Sixth year, he was elected a prefect along with Hermione, to top it off, he was also Quidditch captain. Snape was in his usual foul mood in potions, and he wasn't holding back on the insults either. The lesson before now, Ron had been resting his head on his hand, which Snape decided to pick up on- "Is your hand up or are you just holding your head on?" And when Ron protested,he replied with "I'll try being nicer if you try to be smarter and gain a few more brain cells."  
  
Care of Magical Creatures was getting better, with regular trips into the Forbidden Forest to fins animals, they'd already done a lesson on centaurs and to Ron's horror, they were now doing a lesson on the family of giant spiders that they had met in the second year.  
  
Divination was the lesson that they gained lost sleep in, Trelawney was too busy telling them all that she had vorseen the downfall of the Dark side and was being congratulated by Parvati and Lavender.  
  
The second of September was Hogsmeade day. There was some sort of travelling fair that had set up camp in the field near Dervishes and Bangs, and all the students were eager to go see it.   
  
Edea was woken up by a loud knock on her door, she rolled over and promptly fell out of bed, she looked up at the face grinning down at her.  
  
"Floor nice?" Sirius grinned, "Very spectacular tumble there, you okay?"  
  
"The duvet has a mind of its own."  
  
"I know, i charmed it." Sirius wiggled his eyebrows. "You coming to Hogsmeade today?"  
  
"Nope." Edea shook her head, trying to tug of the duvet, which was acting like a creeper and tying her up. "Not if i can't get out of this thing."  
  
"That's good." Sirius sat down on the floor, "Cuz if you're not coming, then i'm going to sit here and watch you get devoured by the duvet."  
  
"That's nice, do you think you could ge the house elves to order a tub of icecream then?" Edea tried to grab her wand but it was out of reach. "Why did you charm the duvet?"  
  
"It's fun, i was bored." Sirius shrugged, "Nice t-shirt by the way."  
  
The duvet issued a loud rumble.  
  
"Is that just me or did that duvet just growl?" Edea asked quietly.  
  
"Uhm... i didn't tell it to do that. Its getting a bit out of control, i er.... ooh dear."  
  
The duvet rose its other end and swiftly tied up Sirius to the bed post. "This isn't good." he moaned. "You're not supposed to attack me."  
  
"Payback," Edea said as her arm got caught in the folds of the duvet.  
  
"Oh well, this could be interesting." He tried to shrug, and failed miserably.  
****  
  
  
  
Harry ron and Hermione were wandering round the stall packed with exotic foods and gifts from far away countries and wizarding civilisations.   
  
"I wonder how many of these are in circulation." Hermione picked up what looked like an ordinary slab of wood.  
  
"WHat is it?" Ron asked bemused  
  
"New Zealand Driftwood, its supposed to be a powerful healant. Madam Pomfrey would know, i've seen her use it on skin rashes and burns."  
  
"Fascinating." Harry said unenthusiastically, he and Ron were trying to guide Hermione to the joke stalls wihout any luck.  
****FLASHBACK****  
  
  
"Oh come ON Lils, it'll be fun."  
  
"No." Lily said plainly. "You'll start playing around and lose MORE house points."  
  
"I disagree." Sirius said firmly.  
  
"You disagree! How can you disagree?" Lily shrieked. "You weren't evn listening to the conversation, you were too busy with Eds to hear what was going on."  
  
"That's not so." Edea looked up, her hair a mess, "You were trying to dissuade James from taking you to Hogsmeade after curfew."  
  
"See." Sirius said, even though Lily was right, and he hadn't been listening. However, he didn't have to tell them that, as long as Edea knew what was going down.  
  
"Come on." James said cajolingly, "For me..."  
  
"NO."  
  
Sirius was laughing now, "It doesn't work that way, Prongs, you've got to phrase it differently."  
  
"Oh?" Edea sudenly looked sharply at him. "And what other way would you do this?"  
  
"Yes, enlighten us, Sirius." Remus spoke up,anything to get his friend into trouble with the girls was funny. Especially as they usually won.  
  
"You've got to uh... prove... to them that it'll be fun," He made up, he couldnt very well go and say 'you've got to use flattery and bribery.' as all his plans would come crumbling down.  
  
Edea gave him a skeptical look, as did everyone else.  
  
"I'll prove it when i'm there. Obviously." James had his "duh" face on.  
  
Lily stood her ground.  
**ENDIE***  
  
  
"Come On Hermione!" Harry pulled one arm as Ron tugged the other, "i really want to show you something over there."  
  
"I don't want to go to the joke shop, surely you can go without me..."  
  
"But its more fun with your comments..." Ron tried.  
  
"Can't you take Sirius?" hermione struggled "he's probably in there already."  
  
"Nonononono." Harry shook his head dragging Hermione through the tent "door."  
****  
  
  
Sirius let out a squeak as the duvet tightened, "Urm... Eds?"  
  
"Kinda busy right now." Edea was half out of the duvet and was pulling her legs free, as soon as she got free the duvet lurched and dragged her back again. "This is the worst idea you've ever had."  
  
"believe me, i've had plenty worse than this." Sirius said, "If Snape sees thing, he'll have kittens."  
  
"That's a nice prospect." Edea grumbled, "I take it you sorted it out?"  
  
"Kind of." Sirius sighed, "This wasn't what i had in mind..."  
  
"No, really." Edea said sarcastically.  
  
The duvet lurched and threw Sirius across the room, still tied up in it.  
  
"You alright?" Edea ripped the duvet away from her mouth to speak.  
  
"Was that concern i heard there?" Sirius rubbed his head. "No, i'm fine."  
  
"HEEEEEEEEEEEEELP!" Edea shouted.  
  
"Nobody's here, they're all in Hogsmeade." Sirius said dejectedly. "Why can't we do wandless magic?"  
  
"Cuz... we're not that amazingly talented." Edea answered.  
  
Sirius gave her an indignant look, "I have plently of talent, i just don't like to use it."  
  
"Obviously."  
  
The door flew open, and the person who they least wanted to see walked in... Snape.  
"Ah," he said sneering at them, "I see you've set aside this special time to humiliate yourselves in public."  
  
"Not public." Edea stated, "my office."  
  
"i will always cherish the initial misconceptions i had about you." Sirius said evenly.  
  
"This could be very interesting," Snape smiled.  
  
"Get. It. Off." Edea growled at him.  
  
"Oh, that was rather rude, i don't think i will." Snape smiled. "Good day to you." he closed the door behind him. Sirius then started a verbal attack at the absent Snape.  
  
"Language!" Edea laughed, pounding her fists on the duvet.  
****  
  
  
Harry and Ron came out of Zonko's laden with bags full of pranks waiting to be played, Hermine had gone off in the direction of a book fair, and had left them to their own devices.  
  
"hey Harry." Came a voice from behind him.  
  
"Cho.. h.. hi" Harry stuttered, mentally swearing for going red.  
  
"harry..." cho looked slightly worried, "You look boiling, you alright?"  
  
"Yesi'mfinethanks." Harry said in one breath. "Whataboutyou?"  
  
"i'm alright, i wanted to congratulate you for your bravery in that battle. It was really amazing."  
  
Ron just stood there, looking slightly shocked, as Hary just shrugged saying "ahh, it was nothing."  
  
"it didn't look like nothing, it was really brave of you, i thought our DADA teacher had died..."  
Cho shuddered, "Well i have to find Emma-lise, i'll see you soon, good luck in Quidditch!"  
  
Harry gazed after her.  
  
"Er... earth calling Harry Potter?" Ron waved his hand infront of Harry's face.  
  
"Uh? Oh. sorry." Harry grinned. "We should get back to the castle... hermiones probably getting stressy."  
  
Ron rolled his eyes.  
****  
  
Sirius lay on his back, letting the duvet stangle him, it was actually getting very therapeutic in a way, he was just falling asleep when he felt a thud on his chest, Edea had been thrown across from the corner.   
  
"Well, hello." Siris grinned.  
  
"Hi." Edea mumbled  
  
"Fancy meeting you here."  
  
"Indeed." Edea smiled weakly, "Such a surprise."  
  
Sirius gazed at her, then frowned, "Well, seeing as we probably wont be moving till someone SYMPATHETIC arrives..." He batted away a stray duvet corner. "This really wasn't how i planned it and well.. nothing goes as planned in my life so.. i'm babbling now and perhaps i shuld shut up."  
  
Edea didn't comment, well actually she couldnt have commented even if wanted to, the duvet was clamped firmly over her mouth.  
  
"Edea, will you marry me?" Sirius asked, still batting away bits of duvet corner.  
  
"Mrrph-mrrph-mrrph!" Edea said, translating as 'SIRIUS!'  
  
"Dont sound so shocked." Sirius said, tugging at he duvet over her mouth. "You knew about this, a while ago, you even told me to ask again, so i have..." The duvet swung round and suddnely gave out a screech as Sirius reached for Edea's wand.  
  
"yeah, flee in terror!" Sirius jumped up brandishing her wand. Edeajust sat ther wathing him, looking very amused. "nessuna vita" he said, as a powder blue jet of light hit the duvet, and it went limp. "Everybody hail the duvet-ass-kicker!" Sirius grinned, taking a bow.  
  
Edea clapped unenthusiastically.  
  
Sirius flicked the wand across the room and grabbed Edea into a hug. "So?"  
  
"If you broke my wand..." Edea shook her finger at him,  
  
"I'll buy you another, i'll buy you a truckload of wands, i'll MAKE you a wand.." Sirius was slipping into delusions of grandeur again. he fished around in his pockets, and pulled out the blue box, "Marry me?"  
  
Edea gasped at the ring, "Sirius!"  
  
"Yes, i'm called Sirius." Sirius grinned,  
  
"Of course... i mean yes... i mean wow..." Edea let Sirius slip the ring on her finger, "oh my god."  
  
"All good words to describe it, i agree." He grinned again, "You like the ring then?"  
  
"Its amazing, really pretty, where did you... silly question sorry."  
  
"can i go gloat at everyone?" Sirius asked excitedly,  
  
"Course..." Edea nodded, i'll come too after i get some proper robes on.."  
  
"Catch you down there!" Sirius zoomed out of the door, still laughing.  
  
Edea flopped down on her bed to gaze at the golden band on her finger...  
  
TBC...  
  
hehehehe....  
  
thank you to those who've reviewed, you're all lovely!  



	5. i have no idea what to call this- so its...

If you Want to Destroy my Sweater....  
.  
part five.   
hmm... this should be fun...   
*************************************  
  
Sirius practically skipped into the gryffindor Common room, causing many of the students in there to give him weird looks, he disappeared up the steps to Harry's dorm where he caught Harry and Ron hiding a few dungbombs under Seamus' pillow.  
  
"Hi Sirius." Harry said, quickly hiding the rest of the dungbombs, thankfully Sirius was too busy grinnig stupidly to notice. "Did i miss something?"  
  
"Ohhhh, yeah." Sirius nodded.  
  
"What did i miss."  
  
"Semi-strangulation. Not much." Sirius shrugged, "However, i hope you've got some very very clean special robes."  
  
"No, i haven't, why?"  
  
"I'm getting married." Sirius grinned, flumping down on Harry's bed. "Isn't this.. cool?"  
  
Harry's jaw dropped, "Um wow."   
  
"Who's said they'll put up with you?" Ron asked smiling.  
  
"Eddie." Sirius let out a laugh. "You should have seen her face... Well actually that might have been because she was getting strangled by a duvet at the time.. but hey."  
  
"Whoa whoa, too fast..." Harry slowed Sirius down, "Why was she getting strangled by a duvet?"  
  
"I was bored last night, Snape wasn't around to take the piss out of, so i charmed her duvet."  
  
"I bet she was really amused." Ron grinned, knowing the probable reaction their DADA teacher would give.  
  
"Tell me about it." Sirius rolled his eyes.   
  
The dormitory door slammed open and Remus walked in, half dressed, "Did i hear that right?" he asked. "I heard someone giggling maniacally down the corridor, and the voice had to belong to you..."  
  
"Oh you heard it right." Sirius dragged his friend into a bear hug. "I'm geting married, i'm getting married.... oh my god i'm getting married."  
  
Remus raised an eyebrow. "Well done, your powers of deduction are remarkable."  
  
"I know." Sirius nodded. "You've got a special task in all of this too."  
  
"Sirius, calm down." Harry pleaded, it looked very much like Sirius had been on the receiving end of a strong overdose of cheering charm.  
  
"What's that then?" Remus asked warily.  
  
"You, Moony, are going to be my best man." Sirius smiled happily, "Don't look at me like that, i'm not drunk."  
  
Remus joined him grinning, "Really?"  
  
"Yeah." Sirius nodded, getting off the bed, "Excuse me, i have to go and gloat at people."  
****  
  
  
Edea was consulting Professor McGonagall the next day on a field trip to the fens in order to have some hands on experience with hinkypunks and such like, when a black raven flew through the window landing on Edea's shoulder.  
  
Edea pulled out the letter and read it out, "Miss DuCruet, we have had a sighting of the fugitive Peter Pettigrew on the second of September just outside Cambridge, England. We are sending out a collection of Aurors and Ministry officials to the area. It would be of help if you could join them immediately. Yours, Arabella Figg."  
  
"I suggest you leave the class to Remus." Professor McGonagall said quietly, "You should go and find him immediately."  
  
"yes, i think so too. I'll talk about his trip later, is that alright?"  
  
"Of course."   
  
Edea pocketed the letter and quickly walked out to find Remus.  
****  
  
Sirius and Remus were busy playing with the Giant Squid, reminiscing of old times.  
  
"Yes, but it technically wasn't my fault." Sirius said, letting the squid wrap its tentacles around his wrist, "It was our first day at Hogwarts, me and James didn't know you just then."  
  
"James..." Remus had a sad smile, "I wonder if he knew..."  
  
"Knew what?" Sirius asked  
  
"No, don't worry. I'm just being nonsensical."  
  
Sirius gave him a doubtful look, "You know, its not our fault."   
  
"I know."  
  
"But it was my idea to give Peter such a responsibiliy, we should have known."  
  
"We couldn't possibly have known." Remus shook his head, "And plus, it did create fourteen years of peace. He's still weak, if they catch him now, he'll be gone."  
  
"They said he's immortal, he basically proved that."  
  
"You know who else is immortal?"  
  
"Edea's not." Sirius shook his head, "not immortal, that tattoo, it just lowers the chances of her dying, keeps her alive longer, to what extent i don't know, i dont think she knows either.."  
  
"It's proved rather handy, dont you think?"  
  
"Indeed." Sirius threw a biscuit to the squid. "But i've got questions that overshadow it."  
  
"We all do."  
  
"She's worse than Snape with her Dark magic." Sirius admitted, "She's perfect Death Eater material."  
  
"She's had the chance, too many times." Remus told Sirius, "She's not one to do that."  
  
"That's what we said about Peter."  
  
"We said he was too weak to turn, Edea's anything but weak." Remus watched as the Squid balanced the biscuit on a single tentacle, befor disappearing beneath the surface.  
  
"And then there's Harry.." Sirius frowned, "Permanently famous, he wont ever have a normal wizards life, like say.. Arthur Weasley."  
  
"Sirius," Remus almost laughed, "I think that any life other than the Dursleys is very welcome to him, dont you agree?"  
  
"Well... of course. But he's had so much to deal with lately."  
  
"Are you getting sudden parental streaks, Mr Sirius Black?" Remus grinned.  
  
"Save me." Sirius replied with a smile. "oh, doesn't she look cute when she's running!" Sirius pointed at Edea who was hurtling towards them.  
  
"Piece of advice... Don't tell her that." Remus said quietly.   
  
"Hey Eds," Sirius stood up, "Out for a run?"  
  
"Pettigrew." Edea said in one word, the faces of Remus and Sirius lost all humour.  
  
"Where?" Remus asked, his voice deadly.  
  
"Cambridge. Somewhere on the outskirts." Edea rattled off.  
  
"We're coming." Sirius nodded. "Apparaition outside the gates?"  
  
"Yes." Edea answered, and all three of them started running towards the boundary of the school grounds.  
****  
  
  
Harry pelted up towards Dumbledore's office. "Headmaster?!" He asked, "Professor Dumbledore!?"  
  
"Harry?" Dumlbedore stepped out of his office, "Whatever's the matter?"  
  
"Owl.. i got this morning." He panted. "Threat."  
  
Dumbledore took the note from Harry, it was plainly Peter's writing.  
  
"Those you have sent after me are heading into a trap of their own device, they thought i did not know they were coming? How foolish. Voldemort left me his powers when he died, i can see what is to come, please permit me to send your three associates home in boxes. Small boxes."  
  
Harry looked towards his ageing headmaster. "Professor?"  
  
"Oh.. as usual... dear." Dumbledore sighed. "Harry i want you to go back to your lessons, and think nothing of disappearing under that cloak of yours to find them, do you understand me?"  
  
Harry nodded weakly.  
  
Dumbledore started pacing his office, which Harry took as his cue to leave.  
****  
  
  
Edea, Sirius and Remus appeared in a small village outside cambridge itself, their apparition going unnoticed by the local people.  
  
"So?" Sirius was geting fidgity. "Where do we start?"  
  
"No idea." Edea answered truthfully  
  
"Well, why don't we try a magic location spell..." Remus scratched his head, "You know, if we pin it down to animagus transformations.."  
  
"Genius." Sirius exclaimed, "They should have hired you at the ministry."  
  
"You know that's just a ridiculous idea." Remus smiled weakly, "Don't get me started on what i think of the ministry."  
  
"Excuse me.. I work for the ministry." Edea butted in. "Do we really have th time for all this gabble?"  
  
"She has a point." Remus shrugged, "Wel, as far as i know, we have to sort of create a new map, any animagus magic will appear as red splotches of ink on the map after we do the incantation."  
  
"Sort of the Terrus Minimus charm?" Sirius scrunched up his forehead trying to think.  
  
"Exactly."  
  
"Do we have parchment?" Edea asked, then grinned as Sirius produced a scrap of parchment out of one of his many pockets. "Remus, tell us what to do."  
  
After a brief consultation, the three of them were sitting in a sort of triangle-circle with the parchment in the middle chanting "Portare la nostra terra" until the parchemt started to glow, faint lines streaming across the page marking out roads and fields.  
  
"Check it out!" Sirius grinned, "That charm was our own invention too!"  
  
"OKay, now for the magic tracing." Remus pointed his wand at the parchment- "la magia marca del'Animagi."  
  
Nothing happened.  
  
"That... really worked." Edea raised an eyebrow, pointing her own wand at it. "Magius Marcium del'Animagi"  
  
A faint blob of red ink was glowing in one corner of the map.   
  
"Bingo." Sirius grinned.  
  
  
TBC  
  
  
  



	6. Purple Snakeskin Boots

If you Want to Destroy my Sweater....  
.  
part six   
i was listening to classical music when i wrote this, so if its a bit "odd" blame it on Mozart's Amadeus Requiem.  
  
*************************************  
  
  
  
Harry was restless that evening, so lit a candle and picked up his father's diary to read some more...  
  
- It's finished. Totally and completely, i can say for certain now that Remus and Anna were having more than just a social "chat" up in the astronomy tower an hour ago. I can see right now that Severus Snape is prowling round his dorm, Dumbledore is in his office, and Sirius... oh my god.. okay Sirius looks like he's bouncing from wall to wall... this can't be good. In the gryffindor girls dorms, it looks like they're all having a seance, all sitting in a perfect circle. Pity the map cant show what they're saying... Oh well. We've sort of managed to get animals too, but the Animagi will only show up as labelled dots when they're thinking specifically "loud" human thoughts. Well, we can always re-charm it later if we find out something else...-  
  
Harry clutched the marauder's mad beside him,  
  
- Today i had the biggest shock of my life... Lily hanging round with Severus SNAPE. What the hell does she want with him i will never know, and we're supposed to be going out! The nerve...  
oh wel she says he was asking her for something he'd left in the muggle studies class room... We shall never find out... well.. unless i pound him into tiny pieces which seems very entertaining at the present time. Its the last day at Hogwarts in a few weeks time... i cant believe this is actually happening... Seems like there's still so much to go. Oh Well, must go. Sirius and me have somehing spectacular planned for the slytherin laundry...-  
  
  
***FLASHBACK***  
  
  
  
"Lucius!" Severus screamed out in rage. "LUCIUS!"  
  
"Severus? Whats hap...." Lucius say the laundry that had just been returned... "Oh."  
  
"its that POTTER" Severus almost tore his robes in half.  
  
All the robes that had been brought in that morning were now a soft baby pink with little rabbits and flowers on the material. The cords tying them together, were now blue ribbon.   
  
Lucius Malfoy picked up a pair of socks which had little baby witches on broomstics flying round.  
"Emanuel?" He threw them at Emanuel Rosier, "I thought you were GUARDING our dormitory from freaks like those gryffindors?"  
  
"I was." Emanuel replied haughtily, "This happened outside the dorm. The house elves brought them in."  
  
Severus Snape was beginning to overheat. "This is War..."  
***END***  
  
****  
  
  
  
"Well?" A very irate Rosier was stomping round the small field thinking of a thousand other places for a death eater at such a time.  
  
"They shall no doubt be on their way." Peter said quietly, "To bring back our master, we must kill the auror who caused his death. I was the vessel for his soul if such an occurance should happen, it has happened and he now speaks through me."  
  
"Very well." Rosier snarled, "We shall wait."  
  
Peter looked uncomfortable with that snake Nagini slithering round his feet, well, actually he looked uncomfortable all the time, it was terrifying to have his master in his head, listening to his thoughts, being able to hear his fears and doubts.  
  
A twig snapped in the ense foliage behind them and they all whipped around. "Who is it?" Peter tried to stop himself from quaking.  
  
"Its nothing." Rosier squited his eyes, "You've been doing this everytime a bird flies over or something snaps or a leaf falls, you're PARANOID."  
  
"Yes." Peter nodded, still glancing at the foliage, "Probably just a squirrel or something."  
  
Neither of the two saw the six eyes staring at them through the leaves, but the Snake did. It slithered away towards their hiding place unnoticed. It didn't return.  
  
"What're you doing?" Sirius whispered as Edea transfigured the dead snake into a pair of purple snakeskin cowboy boots with four inch heels, very nice bootwork.  
  
"Souvenir." Edea hissed back.  
  
"Will you two shut up?" Remus was getting edgy. "I can see him."  
  
"If we reveal ouselves he'll transform." Sirius frowned, "I don't see any way of doing this."  
  
"I do." Remus crouched down closer to the ground, "Eds, you're a transfigurey person, can you do me a crossbow or something?"  
  
"Course." Edea picked up a few branches of fallen wood, and pointed her wand at them, "Kur." She muttered.  
  
Remus picked up the crossbow and loaded an arrow, He pointed it through the dense thicket bush, and found his aim. "I'm going for Peter, if i dont hit, i want someone to stun him and Rosier before they can react." He whispered, as Edea and Sirius both held their breath. "Don't. Make. A. Sound."  
  
Edea and Sirius got out their wands again, and held them ready. Remus squinted, waiting for Peter to stop pacing round like a lost lamb...  
  
THWAK.  
  
"Stupefy!" Sirius pointed his wand at Rosier, who had seen him coming and hand ducked out of the way.   
  
Peter was on the floor, the arrow had hit its mark.  
  
"Impedimentia!" Edea tried Rosier, who once again rolled out of the way.   
  
"Wingardium Leviosa." Rosier pointed his wand at their hiding place, Edea was lifted high into the air, her head hit a tree branch and she was rendered unconscious.  
  
Remus was running, he was pretty fast when he felt like it. Suddnely a blur of blue and green streaked past Sirius, hurling curses at the death eater and the fallen Peter.  
  
Rosier was down, caught by something Sirius had never heard of before. Remus had Peter under a stupefy charm and was busy pulling the arrow out if his prisoner's back.  
  
Edea was still hanging in the air. "Enervate." Sirius pointed his wand at her. She woke up.  
  
"Damn." Edea muttered, feeling the back of her head as she flaoted back down. "What happened."  
  
"I think its more of a who than a what." Sirius pointed at the cloaked figure, who was having great pleasure in knocking the stuffing out of Emanuel Rosier.  
  
"How odd." Edea mumbled, "Do we know who it is?"  
  
"No." Sirius said, "Lets find out."  
  
"Good work." Remus nodded to the other two, "I like the crossbow, can i keep it?"  
  
"Sure thing." Edea said then put her hand on the shoulder of the stranger, "Hello?"  
  
"Trust you idiots to get into trouble." The slimy voice said quietly.  
  
Sirius's jaw tightened.  
****  
  
  
  
"Professor McGonagall?" Hermione rushed up to her head of house, "Has Dumbledore..."  
  
"Don't worry," McGonagall let out a weak smile, "I'm certain your professor shall return how she left, maybe with an extra baggage by her side."  
  
"No, thats not what i meant.. we don't have a defence against dark arts teacher... i was wondering..."  
  
"Professor Lupin is not there?"  
  
"No." Hermione shook her head, slightly worried, "Seamus said he saw Professr DuCruet take Professor Lupin and Sirius Black with her to the borders of the school grounds."  
  
"Oh dear." Professor McGonagall sighed, "We sent out Professor Snape after her, i fear his journey will have been in vain."  
  
Hermione still looked worried, "Maybe i should..."  
  
"Yes, you take the lesson." McGonagall nodded, "Its first years next lesson i believe, should be no problem for you."  
  
"Thank you." Hermione beamed.  
****  
  
  
  
-We charmed the potions dungeon this evening.- Harry was smiling, his father's diary had a cheerful effect on him, -The cauldrons and equipment have started up an orchestra. Impressive music actually, i cant see why the potions master didn't like it... Maybe the second bar of Ode To Joy was a bit sharp, but it was still very impressive...-  
  
"Harry?" Ron poked his head round the door, "Fancy a game of exploding snap?"  
  
Harry shook his head, "Bit tired, maybe later." he kept reading... -Totally freaked out Filch last night. Me and Sirius hid in that hole he has the guts to call an office, under the invisibility cloak, we kept opening the drawers to his filing cabinets and moving round trophies etc... he thought it was Peeves of all people. Went rushing off to find Dumbledore when Mrs. Norris suddnely turned a bright shade of green.-  
  
****  
  
  
"Severus?" Remus looked round at the figure who was lowering his hood. "What on earth?"  
  
"Heya." Edea shrugged, pulling the snakeskin boots on.  
  
"Cant we ever have a moment in peace?" Sirius spat. he didn't get any further as everyone was now looking at Peter, who was convulsing and choking under the binding ropes.  
  
"Did we charm him to do that?" Edea asked warily.  
  
"Um, would it make matters worse if i said no?" Sirius bit his lip. "I have a bad feeling about this..."  
  
"You don't say." Snape rolled his eyes, watching the squirming PEter, whilst Remus was trying to stupey him to no avail.  
  
"He's throwing it off." Remus said, bewildered, "Like he's possessed or something."  
  
Almost as soon as he'd said that, Peter's body transformed into thousands of tiny grass snakes, that easily slithered out of the ropes, once they had broken free, they took form again.  
  
"Shit." Sirius stated loudly, as the snake-figure turned human. "Cliff-throwing obviously doesnt work as well as planned."  
  
"FOOLS!" Voldemort screeched, "DID YOU THINK YOU COULD GET RID OF LORD VOLDEMORT?"  
  
"Urm..." Edea's mind went blank, no snappy comeback became available, so she settled for the obvious, "yeah."  
  
"FOOLS" Voldemort repeated, "Wormtail sacrificed his life to give me mine."  
  
Remus was backing away, clearly not happy at the current arrangements.  
  
Sirius pulled out his wand, pointing it at Voldemort. "You cant be real. They've got your body down at the ministry labs, you're an illusion."  
  
"Do you not READ the news, Mister Black?" Voldemort asked icily, "They lost my body as you so crudely refer to it yesterday, poor Wormtail believed i needed the blood of the infuriating girl who killed me to regain my powers, but i have proved differently, but her blood is welcome at any rate."  
  
"Its so nice to be wanted." Edea snapped sarcastically,   
  
Severus just stood there. Gawping.  
  
"Alas, i have very few death eaters left." Voldemort sighed, when the call for his minions went unanswered, "But i se one is already here, Welcome my traitorous servant, Severus Snape."  
  
Snape's eyes narrowed,   
  
"You do not bow before me?" Voldemort asked laughing, "Imperio... now bow, just bow."  
  
Snape's back bent in a half bow, his eyes glaring,   
  
"Well done." Voldemort said, then turned to Edea and Sirius, who looked amazed, "As for you..."  
  
"You cant touch me." Edea snarled  
  
"I think i can."  
  
"I think you're wrong." Edea bit back.  
  
"Really?" Voldemort took a step forward, but all of them had suddenly disapparated. Leaving Voldemort pointing his wand at empty space.  
****  
  
  
  
TBC 


	7. Quidditch

If you Want to Destroy my Sweater....  
.  
part seven  
  
*************************************  
  
Christmas came and no sign of Voldemort had been found. Wherever he was, IF he was, he was keeping an abnormally low profile. Hagrid was busy laying out the decorations for the halls.  
  
Harry was sitting on his bed, watching the snow fall outside the window. He was drying off from a class A snowball fight outside. Later on that day, as it was the last day of term, was the Teacher's Quidditch Match. Harry was lending Professor Lupin his Firebolt, and was as anxious to watch his father's friends up in the air as he was on hearing Sirius' commentary.  
  
As the bell rang out, he disappeared down the steps to find Hermione and Ron.  
****  
  
  
Sirius pointed his wand at his throat. "Sonorus." He grinned at Harry sitting next to him,  
"Welcome Welcome Welcome to this fine. er... snowed in day for the match we've all been waiting for... the Hogwarts Staff's Quidditch match!" He stopped to let the crowd cheer.  
"On team Phoenix we have... Keeper... LUPIN!! (go go go my friend!) Chasers McGonagall, Vector and Trelaaaaaaaawney!!!, WE have the two wonderful beaters, DuCruet and Hagrid... ohoho lets see team unicorn get through THAT defence and The seeker our very own muggle studies teacher... FENNEY! And on Team Unicorn we have Keeper Sinistra, Chasers Hooch, Flitwick and Pomfrey, Beaters Sprout and Filch, and the Seeker... oh... Snape." He said the last name with a hint of disdain... "We're waiting for Dumbledore's whistle.. and they're off! Hooch takes the quaffle, no surprises there then, she's heading towards the Phoenix defence, and its... what the hell was that? Remus? you're supposed to NOT LET THEM IN!!!" Sirius shook his head, "ten zero to the unicorns, Snape, stop loking so smug.. oh its Hagrid.. he's hit that bludger straight at Sprout, and .... he misses by aeons... damn... whats that? nono i'm not being biased, of course not.. oh that's very nice teamship from vector and mcgonagall there, trelawney... YES!!! we have scored, and its the divination teacher no less, i'm sure she foresaw that!! Snape, watch your language, i could hear that... and Hooch has the quaff... no its vector.. streaking towards the hoops, only to be set off course by that RUDDY BLUDGER...."  
  
Harry was looking out for the snitch whilst Sirius babbled on to the crowd in his own charming fashion. He already had caught the attention of some Ravenclaw seveth year girls.  
  
"geez, will you take a look at Snape..." Ron pointed at their potions teacher who was hovering above the game, looking round for the quick flash of gold. He was looking more determined than ever, until....  
  
  
"And DuCruet sends a bludger straight up! Thats my girl! Has Snape realised what's heading for him....." Sirius said gleefully.  
  
Snape, hearing his name in the commentary looked down and saw a black ball hurtling towards him and he sped off quickly, hearing the rip as the bludger caught the edge of his cloak. he shook his fist angrily at Edea, who just winked at him, before whacking another bludger across the pitch.  
  
"Is that what i think it is?" Sirius shouted, pointing at a glinting tiny ball in the air.  
  
"You've just alerted the wrong team..." Hermione screeched at him.  
  
"Sorry, sorry, my mistake, no i didn't see a thing." Sirius said quickly as Snape hurtled towards the Snitch. "FENNEY WHERE ARE YOU!!"  
  
Edea was hitting as many bludgers at Snape as possible. Hagrid was sitting uneasily on his school broom, hoping it wouldnt crack under the weight. Too late, Snape had the Snitch, okay he'd fallen off his broom in the process and landed in the snow, but he still caught the snitch.  
  
"REPLAY!" Sirius was screeching, "I, as commentator demand a replay! And.. i wanna play!"  
  
"Sirius!" Harry laughed, "You whining?"  
  
"Long time since i've played on a quidditch team." Sirius muttered quietly, "I cant believe he won, did his team like... hex the snitch or something?"   
  
Snape gave Sirius a wry, definitely smarmy smile before leaving the pitch.  
****  
  
  
  
"That was a failure." Sirius gave Remus a mug of warm pumpkin juice, "Nevertheless, a very spectacular failure."  
  
"As per usual, brimming with compliments." Remus grinned at his old friend. "It wasn't really our fault, if you hadnt got so carried away and blurted out that you could see the snitch, when Snape wasn't even looking in that direction, then maybe he wouldn't have seen it and caught it."  
  
"Blame the dog." Sirius rolled his eyes, "As always."  
  
"Of course." Remus nodded, "Perfect excuse to put you in a great deal of trouble."  
  
"Thank you, i express my gratitude at your concern of my scapegoat plight."  
  
Remus just shook his head resignedly.  
****  
  
  
"Well, master?" one of the few remaining death eaters ventured to ask.  
  
"We shall be patient, they are all too inquisitive for their own good, i am still weak and need her blood to come back to my former glory. As long as i stay hidden, they shall come searching soon enough."  
  
"What about the Figg lady?"  
  
"She is in charge of the ministry now, yes?" Voldemort asked.  
  
"I believe so." Rosier nodded.  
  
"Once i have the blood, we shall attack. The blood shall separate my body from Wormtail's and i shall be free again."  
****  
  
  
  
Edea collapsed in one of the overstuffed staffroom chairs. She dumped a big pile of books on the small coffee table and ran a tired hand through her hair.   
  
"Tea?" Severus asked.  
  
"Please." Edea nodded weakly, mildly surprised at how Snape was acting.  
  
"Still bitter about the match?" Snape smirked as Edea scowled at him. "Or maybe there's sometihng else."  
  
"My head's spinning." Edea admitted, "On how you could do that. You never struck us as the sporty type."  
  
"Everybody keeps secrets DuCruet, even you." Severus said with a slight accusatory tone. "Pity that that egotistical fiance of yours has no idea on what i know about you."  
  
"Its just as much your fault as it is mine, and what can he say?"  
  
"We'll have to see about that during the sorting next september won't we." Snape smiled shrewdly, "He looks remarkably like his mother..."  
  
"We made a deal on this." Edea snapped. "You made it impossibly clear that you wanted me to have nothing to do with the boy, and i've upheld that."  
  
"You have indeed." Snape let out a sharp laugh, "Still, I'd just love to see Black's face."  
  
"Not gonna happen." Edea snorted, "And who'd believe it anyway."  
  
"I can be very convincing, as you know."  
  
Outside the staffroom door, Remus had stopped to listen to their conversation. He knew he shouldnt have, but he'd finally been able to place some loose ends he'd never been able to clear up. "Oh, Eds." He shook his head pitifully, "You've really gone and done it this time."  
****  
  
  
  
"Sirius?" Harry looked across the commonroom to his godfather.  
  
"Mmm?"  
  
"What happened to your yellow bath duck?"  
  
"huh?" Sirius went an attractive shade of pink at this comment. "I never had any bath duck."  
  
"Thats' not what my dad said."  
  
"Its.... a very long complicated story." Sirius hid himself behind the daily prophet's broadsheet pages.  
  
"You weren't spying with it, were you?" Harry grinned, he knew he'd hit home.  
  
"Where did you here something like that."  
  
"Like i said before..."  
  
"Alright." Sirius conceded. "I had a duck, it was called Derek. And a great asset he was too."  
  
"You charmed it!" Hermione sounded affronted.  
  
"Of course i did." Sirius laughed, "I wanted to know waht certain peoploe thought of me, so i placed a hearing charm on the duck, left it in the prefect's bathroom on a shelf out of the way, and the things i got to hear... so funny. people tend to talk to themselves when they're alone in the bath. It was highly amusing. And of coruse all the girls congregated in there to have their feminist chats."  
  
"I can't believe you did that." Harry laughed, "What happened after that."  
  
"It disappeared." Sirius shrugged, "One day it just vanished and i never saw or heard from it again. I have my suspicions on where it went."  
  
Harry grinned and turned back to the diary.  
  
-Final ride on the Hogwarts express this evening. Feeling slightly nostalgic, asked Lils to marry me, she cried, infront of everbody. I'm not sure how to take that, a yes probably, i've already booked Sirius as best man. Sirius in a formal suit, that should be a sight to behold. Well, that was the best year of my life so far... i cant quite believe it... no more Hogwarts, i actually have to get a job now, as Remus so helpfully reminded me this morning. Maybe i'll be an auror. I know he's convinced Eds to train for the Auror lifestyle. Sirius wants to go set up some weird shop dealing in muggle artifacts. No doubt that's where his passion for disassembling motorbike parts on the floor has come from...-  
  
Harry looked across at his godfather again, who was busy doing the crossword on the back page, he was sucking the end of his quill thoughtfully.   
  
"Sirius?" Harry grinned, looking at the state of the quill. "You'll chew your quill to bits."  
  
"Not my quill." Sirius grinned back, "Found it lying in the potions dungeon."  
  
"Nasty."  
  
"Not really, it tastes a bit funny, but never mind, i do it subconsciously apparently." Sirius olded up the newspaper. "Feel peckish?"  
  
"Yes actually." Harry got up after Sirius as they headed out of the portrait hole towards the kitchens.  
  
TBC.  
  
hehehe. guess what edea and snape are hiding...  



	8. Lucifer

If you Want to Destroy my Sweater....  
.  
part eight  
sorry it took a while between updates recently, i was ill :( (and writing requiem)  
  
*************************************  
  
"Severus?" Remus caught up with the disagreeable potions master in one of the hallways. "can i have a word?"  
  
"What is it?" Snape stopped turning to Remus.  
  
"Is it true?" Remus asked quietly, "About Lucifer?"  
  
"It depends on what you mean about my son."  
  
"Is Edea involved?"  
  
Snape let out a quick sneer, "She's more involved than she ever wished to be." He rolled his eyes, "Were you listening in?"  
  
"I'm afraid so." Remus said calmly, "I just hope... you wont use this against her."  
  
"Why should i do that?"   
  
"I've seen what you can do when provoked." Remus shrugged.  
  
"You know as well as i do that Sirius Black cant ever be what she needs."  
  
"You dont know that." Remus folded his arms  
  
"When he finds out, he'll blow." Severus started walking away. "Mark my words."  
  
"Why you selfish, arrogant little bas..." Remus caught himself just in time.  
****  
  
  
The Christmas feast at Hogwarts was spectacular as always, this year it felt even better for Harry, having his father's two best friends sitting next to him discusing various pranks and bloopers they'd achieved over past christmases. Ron was busy stuffing himself with as much food as possible, and Hermione was listening intently to her favorite DADA professor. Harry looked up at the Staff table, Edea was missing. If it was possible, Snape looked more smug than usual, and glanced at Harry more than Harry would have liked.  
  
"Where's Edea?" harry asked Sirius  
  
"No idea." Sirius shrugged, "Probably called away on Auror Lurking or something."  
  
Remus looked down guiltily at his plate, he knew where she'd gone. He found it pretty amazing that Sirius had never found out. Surely Snape would have gloated.  
  
"Remus?" Sirius prodded his friend, "Away with the fairies?"  
  
"Indeed." Remus tried to smile at Sirius.  
  
"What's wrong?" Sirius picked up immediately, as Hary Ron and Hermione got caught up in their own conversation.  
  
"Nothing." Remus tried to shrug it away.  
  
"Its' not nothing when you're staring around like that. C'mon, tell Paddy..."  
  
"Its not something i can tell you." Remus admitted, hoping Sirius would understand.  
  
Sirius' face fell, "Oh."  
****  
  
  
  
Edea pulled her cloak round her tighter as she peered through the dark windows of Snape's mansionette. She had yet to find what she was looking for. She moved around the houe, then finally climbed up on the stone ledge and looked into the Dining Hall.  
  
"Crap." Edea muttered, as the window shattered and she fell into the room covered in bits of broken glass.  
  
The small boy who was sitting at the table jumped up, startled and pulled out his wand. "Nana!" He cried out to the lady sitting at the other end of the table.  
  
The frail lady frowned as she saw Edea pick herself up and look around. "What do you mean by this?" She demanded  
  
"Um..." Edea was speechless. "Hi?"  
  
"YOU" The old lady brought out her own wand and pointed it at Edea.  
  
"Auror here, put that away." Edea pointed at her wand.  
  
"We do not want you here." The lady said pointedly to Edea.  
  
"Funny, that. Cuz i don't really like it here either. But i have something of mine here."  
  
"He's not yours to have."  
  
"nana?" The boy asked, standing up, "I'm ten, nana. I can understand what you're saying you know."  
  
"You don't want to associate with such scum, child." The lady bristled. "You father wouldn't want it."  
  
"daddy's never here." Lucifer scowled, he had inherited Severus' dark moods obviously.  
  
"Merry Christmas to you too, Lucy." Edea rolled her eyes, "You..." She pointed her wand at the old lady, "Outside." The old lady was dragged out of the door by some invisible force.  
  
"wow." The boy looked up at Edea. "How cool..."  
  
"Lucifer?" Edea frowned, "Do you know who i am?"  
  
Lucifer squinted at her...  
****  
  
  
  
Sirius sat on the big wooden kitchen table, being brought food by all the house elves. Harry was in a corner talking to Dobby about new socks.  
  
"Heres your eclairs master Sirius..." A little elf curtseyed, bringing Sirius a mountain of chocolate eclairs on a silver platter.  
  
"Perfection." Sirius smiled widely picking up the first one on the top. "Oy, Harry!"  
  
"yeah?"  
  
"You're doing a Remus." Sirius sniggered, "Talking to house elves like that.. so funny."  
  
"This is Dobby, was Malfoy's elf before he got given socks."  
  
"Socks is Dobby's favourite." Dobby spoke up to Sirius, "Is you liking your eclairs, sir?"  
  
"Very much so." Sirius nodded. "Can you deliver some to the defence against dark arts professor's office please?"  
  
"Of course, sir." Dobby quickly scampered away to find more eclairs.  
  
"This is so amazing." Harry sat on the floor, being waited on by gleeful elves.   
  
"You can now understand how gryffindor had so many food parties when we were here..." Sirius grinned.   
  
"Don't you think we should be getting back soon?"  
  
"Probably." Sirius shrugged. "C'mon, i'll have some more sent up later."  
****  
  
  
Remus Lupin sat at his desk, rifling through some papers, there was a short knock on the door and a house elf came in bearing a tray full of delicacies, "Compliments of Master Sirius, sir." She squeaked.  
  
Remus' face cracked into a grin. "Thank you."  
  
"Is Sir wanting anything else?"  
  
"No, no, thats fine thank you." Remus held back his desire to start up a conversation. "Please, take your leave."  
  
The elf bowed and disappeared behind the door again. Remus picked up a creamy bun and went back to his marking.  
****  
  
  
  
The boy looked up at Edea, "You're that auror who stopped the bad guy."  
  
"Kinda." Edea bit her lip. "Well, anyway. I know you, and i brought you something."  
  
The boy read the little label. "Edea," He read her name. "You send me things every year, and on my birthday. Sometimes Dad gets angry."  
  
"He doesnt like me much... anymore." Edea shrugged, "neither does your nana."  
  
"nana likes nobody." Lucifer moaned. "AND! She won't let me play on my broom in the snow."  
  
"is that so?"  
  
"She says its too dangerous." Lucifer looked at the wrapped present. "daddy's coming home later.. we get to open the presents then."  
  
"Do you like him.." Edea looked at the boy's confused expression. "i mean... does he treat you well?"  
  
"Yes!" The boy smiled instantly, "he's really nice to me, we go for long walks and he talks about stuff, mummy and potions and about Hogwarts."  
  
"He talks about your mum?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"What does he say?" Edea sat down on the floor.  
  
"He says she left because she didn't really like him and wanted to have a career and live with her old friends and a werewolf."  
  
"Werewolves aren't all bad." Edea snapped suddenly, "Yes, i'm sorry- go on."  
  
"He told me she looked like me, but that she thinks i'm a big mistake." Lucifer scowled again.  
  
Edea's smile fell. "I know your mother."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Yeah." Edea said, "She doesnt think you're a mistake. She thinks your father was a mistake."  
Edea stood up, repairing the broken window. "Have fun, wont you."  
  
The boy just stared after her as she left the large house. "Mummy?" He asked after she'd gone.  
****  
  
Ron and Hermione had been getting pretty close during the holiday, and Harry couldn't help but feel slightly left out. Ron wasn't even complaining about Hermione's perfectionist streak anymore, just blushing and grinning madly. They weren't in the commonroom when Harry climbed through the portrait hole. He sat down to watch Seamus and Dean play chess. He heard a shriek, and went to the window in time to see Sirius holding Edea down in the snow whilst Remus used his wand to pile snow over her...  
****  
  
  
"Moony, more snow!" Sirius shouted gleefully.  
  
"Coming up." Remus pointed his was at her and bright purple snow shot out of the tip of his wand.  
  
"Very pretty." Sirius said, impressed. His musings were cut short as he got bowled over into the snow himself. "Bloody mrrph."  
  
"Woohoo!" Edea shoted from under her snow grave. "Go Hermione!"  
  
Sirius was busy trying to stop the snow that was being crammed in his face to notice Remus coming up behind him, holding a handful of snow.  
  
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH" Sirius screeched as it went down his back.  
  
Remus pulled Edea out from the snow and they both rugby tackled Sirius, getting him as wet and as snowy as possibe.  
  
"hermione.. help!" Sirius pleaded as Hermione and Ron looked on, laughing.  
  
Sirius suddenly got the upper hand, and dragging himself up, he pelted towards the castle doors, being pursued by some charmed snowballs. "Aha!" He shouted back. "You lose... mrph." He got hit face on by Ron's enchanted snowball. "Bloody hell."  
  
TBC  
a/n well.. that was an irrelevant chapter.- i was too busy writing the tabs to a song i've written. and working out remus' bit to the requiem. 


	9. Motorbike specifics

If you Want to Destroy my Sweater....  
.  
part nine  
  
*************************************  
FLASHBACK-  
  
"And the ignition's gone, its a Lucas Magneto i think..." Sirius scratched his head. "And the front wheel's bent from the collision, its er.. i'll need it replaced.."  
  
"Ay, its a one sixtyfive by twenty inch." A burly mechanic surveyed Sirius' motorbike with a fag hanging out of his mouth.  
  
"yeah." Sirius looked at the slightly bent piece of metal that was his pride and joy.  
  
"Yer front suspension's gone an' all."  
  
"What?"  
  
"The vincent Girdraulic..." the mechanic pointed at the suspension, "See."  
  
"Oh, well.. basically it needs a re-haul..."  
  
"Might take a while."  
  
"Serves you right." A much younger, cheerier Remus Lupin poked his friend in the ribs.  
  
"Its not his fault he got delusions of grandeur." Lily stated.  
  
"well. The charm wasn't quite right.." Sirius agreed, whilst the muggle took his bike away to survey the rest of the damage. "But i'm sure if lily were to help..."  
  
"No." James suddenly piped up, grinning at his friend. "Sirius plus magical flying motorbike equals big big BIG trouble."  
  
"Its for his Stud image." Peter squinted in the dark of the mechanic's wrokrooms to get a glimpse of the other muggle varieties of transport.  
  
"Hey." Sirius looked round. "Just cuz you dont have one..."  
  
"A bike or the stud image?" Anna, a pretty girl wih longish blonde hair next to Remus raised an eyebrow at him.  
  
"Both." Edea smiled at Anna. "Hes grumpy he doesnt have the car to go with it."  
  
"What happened to your broomstick?" Remus asked.  
  
"its in my room. pride of place of course."  
  
"Just cuz he cant fit the bike under the bed." James laughed. "Admit it Sirius, you're a muggle contraption lover.."  
  
"Okay okay, i am defeated." Sirius hung his head mockingly. "Loser!"  
***END***  
  
"And it has triplex chain transmission..." Sirius said excitedly to Harry, who looked slightly lost in the conversation.  
  
"Am i the only one who's lost?" Ron asked feebly.  
  
"Hermione and Harry both gave Ron sympathetic looks saying that whatever Sirius was garbling about went straight over their heads too.  
  
"Hello, attention back to the Sirius-love-mobile please?" Sirius waved his arms at them.  
  
"You NAMED it?" Hermione laughed.  
  
"So? Its not as bad as what James called his Broom." Sirius sniggered.  
  
"What did he call it?"  
  
"Vesuvian soldier... Vessie for short." Sirius cackled. "We all called it Vest. He got annoyed, long story."  
  
"Riiight." Ron dipped a piece of bread in his tomato soup.  
  
"Ignore him." Remus advised, "He's lost in realms of idiocy... He'll be back on Earth some time this evening."  
****  
  
  
  
A few weeks later, well into the Spring term, and Edea was in the middle of a class of disreputable Slytherins when a very out of breath Remus Lupin crashed through the door...  
  
"Need your help- Sirius in trouble..." He wheezed as he dragged Edea out of the room. "Portkey this way."  
  
"What's the matter?" Edea asked, getting slightly worried.  
  
"Notimetoexplain." Remus said in one quick breath.  
  
"Yet you had time to establish a Porkey?" Edea asked skeptically. "Remus.. i..."  
  
The portkey took them to a small graveyard, surrounding a quiet country church.  
  
"Professor!" Hermione screeched, "You're here, oh thank god..."  
  
Edea raised an eyebrow, "I'm. Going. To. Kill. Him." She growled as Remus changed his robes with a flick of his wand. Hermione did the same to herself, and pointing a wand at her Defence professor, changed her black and grey robes into a shimmering white dress.  
  
"Nuh-uh." Edea shook her head. "Frills. Don't like them." She pointed her own wand at the dress and it changed into an elegant white silk slip dress with a corset styled top half.  
  
"Well, i've got to er..." Remus was feeling round in his pockets, then apparated.  
  
"Edea." Dumbledore came walking out of the church, "You're going to be late..."  
  
"Are we allowed to just.. leave the school?" Edea asked suspiciously.  
  
"You know... Hermione asked me the same question." Dumbledore stroked his beard, pensively, "And i must say, this is highly irregular... but then again.. why not?" He offered Edea his arm, "Come, or i'm worried Sirius may decide to start crying."  
  
"He blubbers." Edea explained to Hermione, "Please feel free to laugh at him."  
  
****  
  
(a/n)- i cant write weddings therefore in order to keep this a good fic- we skip ahead. agreed? good.  
if anybody CAN write them, then e-mail it to me as a text file- e.ducruet@professor.co.uk (yes that IS my e-mail) and i'll stick it up as an interlude, saying who its by. The again... i might not put it up, depends on whether it goes with what i think...  
  
****  
  
  
  
"Cake?" Sirius offered another slice to his new wife. The entire group, consisting of Them, Dumbledore, Remus, Harry Ron and Hermione were sitting out in the field behind the church having the 'reception'.   
  
"If i eat more cake, i'll burst." Edea muttered, taking the slice anyway.  
  
"Interesting visual." Sirius frowned. "Little Edea fragments."  
  
"THANK you." Remus laughed. "Sirius, we are eating and that's just.... typical of you."  
  
"Myself apologises for its behaviour." Sirius grinned  
  
"Drunk." Hary smiled at his godfather, "Youre drunk."  
  
"I'm not drunk- just slightly... merry."  
  
"Drunk." Ron agreed.  
  
"Wait 'til he starts telling you about the man with the..."  
  
"Golden Eyeball!" Sirius finished for her, laughing into his champagne glass.  
  
"Then you know hes gone."   
  
"Do we call you Professor Black now?" Hermione asked  
  
"I liked DuCruet actually. It was a nice name." Edea wondered aloud.  
  
"Are you saying my name isn't nice?" Sirius asked incredulously.  
  
"No i wasnt saying that... i was saying i liked my name as much as yours."  
  
"You so were not."  
  
"You must excuse me, i have an owl in my office that needs to be attended to..." Dumbledore stood up. "I wish you a very happy rest of the day, and you three, i dont expect you back in Hogwarts till dinner, as you're so "ill", even under Madam Pomfrey's excellent care."  
  
"Thank you." Edea smiled, as he disapparated.  
  
"How does he know about the owl?" Ron asked  
  
"His mind is like a living marauder's map. he just KNOWS." Sirius used his glass for emphasis. "He knew all about our plans... he knew it was us, he knows all about the secret passages in and out of the school, the secret rooms, hidden treasures et ceterea."  
  
"But how?"  
  
"That, is something only Dumbledore knows." Edea shrugged, "Maybe even he doesn't know himself."  
  
"I wonder what house he was in when he was at Hogwarts...."  
  
"Not Slytherin." Sirius scowled. "My bet's on Gryffindor."  
  
"I'm finding this incredibly difficult to imagine him as a child." Ron scratched his head.  
  
"Without that beard... how weird would that be?" Harry agreed. "Not being all-knowing,"  
  
"Omni.. om... omnisee... omniseesosent." Sirius slurred.  
  
"Omniscient." Remus corrected.  
  
"Whatever."  
  
TBC 


	10. Resignations

part ten  
  
lalala i'm on part ten...  
right, for ease's sake, lets say the MWPP people graduated in 1978. if harry was born in 1981, and he's fourteen at the end of the fourth book, then as this is the sixth year i'm writing about he's 16, and so the year is 1997. if students graduate at 17/18 depending on their birthdays, then the MWPP people would be.... 37 going on 38... okay end of maths... you'll see the significance later.  
  
****  
  
"I'm handing in my resignations.." Edea held out a slip of parchment.  
  
"Edea, are you serious?"  
  
"No, that's my husband." Edea grinned faintly,   
  
"Are you sure about this?"  
  
"i can't hold up two jobs at once." Edea shrugged. "Two full time jobs at that."  
  
"You're one of the best we have on the team."  
  
"There are better."   
  
Arabella Figg sighed. "If you insist." She took the piece of parchment, read it, then put it in a desk drawer. "The Auror team wont be the same without you. You know you're welcome back at any time. Hogwarts should consider themselves very lucky..."  
  
"i'm sure they do."  
****  
  
****FLASHBACK****  
  
"Sirius... If you want to destroy my sweater, thats really the right way of going about it." James pulled his blue jumper out of reach of his best friend.  
  
"I wasn't destroying it..." sirius made a grab for it.  
  
"You are not, under any circumstances taking it to the shreiking shack with us, okay? I happen to like it." James stuffed the jumper back into his trunk.  
  
"But its soft... and nice... and i need a bed in that place."  
  
"Use your own stuff for bed rags." James laughed at his friend.  
  
"I dont have any huge blue fluffy jumpers, and plus you never wear it anyway."  
  
"Doesn't mean i dont like it, or want it ripped into little bits by an irate werewolf and a dog."  
  
"It wont get ripped, i just hate sleeping on that ruddy splintery floor."  
  
"We're hardly ever in there anyway."  
  
"Yes, but... thats not the point!" Sirius groaned. "Please James?"  
  
"No." james said rolling his eyes, "Mum'd kill me if she saw that torn to shreds as well as all my normal school stuff."  
  
James disappeared down the stairs as he heard Remus calling him, leaving Sirius staring at a blue sleeve poking out through the half shut trunk lid.  
  
"Right, Prongsy, you've had it." he grinned wickedly.  
  
**END***  
  
  
"What're we doing in here?" Hermione coughed as she inhaled a mouthful of dust. Harry had led Ron and her into the shreiking shack.  
  
"Planning a birthday." Harry explained.  
  
"Which we can't do in the common room, or in the dormitory?" Hermione asked doubtfully, looking round at the mangled furniture.  
  
"Nope." Harry said. "Sirius knows the Gryffindor portrait password, and he's so nosy he'd ask what we were planning. He'd find us in the dorms, and anywhere else in the castle. This way we can see him coming and he wont necessarily come here anyway."  
  
"I thought he'd have left Hogwarts now..." Ron mused, testing out a chair.  
  
"Dumbledore offered him a job." hermione said exasperatedly, "You know half the time i dont think you're listening to a word i say. He's a sort of cross between groundsman and guard. Basically he gets to creep around the grounds looking shifty."  
  
"Right up his street then." Ron grinned.  
  
"Look, he's my godfather, and as far as i know hasn't had a decent birthday since... what the hell is that?"  
  
Crookshanks had crawled out from under a cupboard in the corner covered in dust, and dragging something motheaten and blue behind it.  
  
Hermione picked up her cat, and tried in vain to brush the dust off. Harry crouched down close to the floor and inspected the pile of rag the cat had left when Hermione had picked it up.  
  
"What is it?" Ron asked.  
  
Harry picked it up, "it LOOKS like a jumper.." One of the sleeves was falling off on the shoulder seams and it had various moth holes in the rest. The dust coverage gave it a grey complexion.  
  
"Maybe Sirius left it from when we met him here..." hermione said, dropping her cat onto the table.  
  
"Maybe..." Harry wondered.  
****  
  
  
"What do you mean you dumped your job... how can you just dump a highly paid ministry job?" Sirius said in exasperation to Edea.  
  
"It was very easy actually, you know- you write a resignation letter..."  
  
"Funny Funny." Sirius grinned, "But seriously, why'd you do it?"  
  
"I dont agree with how its run, so basically if you dont like it, you dont do it, right?"  
  
"That makes sense." Sirius looked like this was slightly too much to swallow. "But..."  
  
"No buts." Edea walked round the corner with Sirius, who walked face first into Snape.  
  
"Well well." Snape dusted off his robes. "If it isnt Black and his little wife."  
  
"not so little thank you very much." Edea shook her head smiling, "I would say pick on someone your own size, but i am your size so theres little point in me saying that."  
  
"I'd like a word with you." Snape said icily.  
  
"Oh?" Edea asked, crossing her arms.  
  
Sirius looked from Edea to Snape and back again, he frowned, something was going on.  
  
"I got a very interesting owl just now." Snape said in almost a whisper.  
  
"did you really? What sort of interesting? Was it a mono-wing or something?" Edea asked lightly.  
  
"Very funny." Snape said, not finding it funny in the least. "i find it interesting... that my elderly mother should have been charmed out of her own house by someone (who funnily enough matches your description) because this intruder refused to leave."  
  
"Isn't that odd." Edea said, smiling, "I have a double."  
  
"Or maybe your little disappearing act this morning had a motive." Snape's eyes narrowed.  
  
"Hey now." Sirius stood in between them, "What the hell would Edea want with your crappy little house?" It was clear from his tone of voice that he wasn't understanding.  
  
"Well, Mister Black... whilst you were.. 'unavoidably detained' shall we say? Your dear wife had other plans."  
  
"You will shut your ugly mouth before i shut it for you." Edea snarled at Snape.  
  
"What the HELL is going on?" Sirius yelled at Snape.  
  
Snape just smiled, before turning on his heel. "Another mystery for you, *Padfoot*." He walked back down the corridor he had come, with a definite spring in his step.  
****  
  
***FLASHBACK***  
  
"DuCruet?" Snape had opened the door to his home to find a very much drenched old school enemy of his standing on the doorstep, soaked to the bone in the howling storm.  
  
"Hey." Edea sniffed, very much subdued.  
  
"What on Earth are you doing here?" Snape opened the door letting her in. "What's happened?"  
  
"Do you want a whole life story or just the latest scoop?" Edea asked.  
  
"I'm up to the boyfriend in Azkaban bit." Snape let out a smirk.  
  
Edea sneezed, then fainted on the floor in a wet puddle.  
  
"Edea? EDEA LARIMIR DUCRUET!" Snape shouted, awakening her.  
  
"Wha?" Edea tried to move her hand but found herself tucked up tightly in a blanket on a sofa infront of a blazing fire.   
  
"You're awake." Snape stated simply.  
  
"no kidding." Edea sneezed again. "Sorry."  
  
Snape paced a hand on her forehead, "You're ill."  
  
"Once again, well DUH." Edea rolled her eyes. "Need help from our favourite double crosser."  
  
"Oh?" Snape handed her a hot mug of something herbal. "Did Dumbledore..."  
  
"yeah." Edea nodded taking a sip from the mug. "The Le.. le... le... atiSHOO..."  
  
"Lestranges?" Snape took a wild guess.  
  
"Uh huh." Edea sniffed. "Big trouble they're causing."  
  
"How so?" Snape's interest had been caught.  
  
"Dark marks everywhere, scaring the knickers off the muggles, revenge games i think."  
  
"I would have thought they would have disbanded themselves and said they had been acting under the imperius curse." Snape said thoughtfully, staring at the fire.  
  
Edea forced herself to sit up. "Well, they're not, they're acting as if they've replaced Voldemort." She sneezed again. "I've been lurking round the forest, watching them in this cruddy weather..."  
  
"And you have caught the consequences of lurking round the forest."   
  
"yeah, thats right, rub it in." Edea said grimly, "Thats what everyone's been doing lately... its like ... 'did you see that auror.... that was sirius black's partner... yeah... shes an auror and she didnt even know...' blah blah..."  
  
"Not your fault." Snape said quickly. "Hows the wolf taking it?"  
  
"Disappeared a few days ago. Said he wanted some time to himself."  
  
"And yourself?"  
  
"Keeping busy, keeping things going, its as busy as ever now... and.... aaaah-SHOO." Edea rubbed her nose on a tissue Snape had conjured for her. Edea raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised at Snapes attitude. "You treading carefully around the ticking timebomb everyone's afraid of talking to now?"  
  
"Is that what you are?" Snape smirked, "You should have told me."  
  
"Anyway.. i need to get back out, catch the buggers, do you know anything about the Lestranges i dont?"  
  
"You know where they live, right?"  
  
"Parker's Drive, Islingwoth." Edea nodded, "And they have all sorts of befuddlement charms around the house."  
  
"Secret entrance on the east wing."  
  
"Really? That saves me a lot of bother." Edea smiled weakly. "Then i'm going to go home and crash on my bed... sort out my stuff from his stuff and find someplace new."  
  
"You're not going anywhere." Snape said firmly, "You'd drop dead the moment you stepped outside.  
  
"Meanie." Edea pouted. "I'm an auror, you cant tell me what to do."  
  
"Then i'll hold you here under force."  
  
"Re-he-he-heally?" Edea let out a laugh, then simmered down, after sneezing a few times. "Okay you win."  
  
"You're really ill if you just let that slide." Snape shook his head sitting on the floor by the fire. "Amazing."  
  
***END***  
  
****  
  
  
TBC- sorry about not posting for ages since chapter 8, i was, like sirius, 'unavoidably detained' from the net.. my bad! 


	11. A starred Birthday

part eleven  
  
***********  
  
good song i was listening to whilst writing this one: wheatus- a little respect, but maybe thats just me.  
  
***********  
  
  
Sirius rolled over in the bed he shared with his wife, "You're not telling me something." He muttered as dawn broke over the horizon, "I can't sleep, you know."  
  
"There's nothing to tell." Edea spoke into her pillow.  
  
"Then why's Snape so giddy about this?"  
  
"He's a nutcase." Edea replied, turning over to face him. "Nothing that concerns you."  
  
"But its about you, right?"  
  
"Maybe." Edea yawned. "Difficult to say."  
  
"Is he trying to blackmail you into doing something?" Sirius watched as a troupe of owls flew past the window.  
  
"No." Edea said quietly, "He's not trying to get me to do anything."  
  
"DID you go to his place?"  
  
"Maybe." Edea moaned, "Sirius, shut up, stop worrying about it, it has nothing that could possibly harm you, or Harry, or me, or even himself."  
  
"I'm just worried about you."  
  
"You dont have to be." Edea grinned at his face, "We're never going to survive unless we get a little crazy."  
  
"I guess." Sirius   
  
"I can tell you why you cant sleep." Edea smirked. "You're wondering how you got to be thirty eight so quickly."  
  
"Very true." Sirius nodded glumly. "God, i'm ancient."  
  
"One would have thought, that with age, you would have matured a bit..."  
  
"Well... *ONE* was rather mistaken about that, wasn't one." Sirius smiled, "Great, presents!"  
  
"Barking." Edea rolled her eyes, "Its like... five AM."  
  
"SO?" Sirius pulled a t-shirt over his head. "All the more fun."  
  
"I'm going to hide them next year." Edea pulled the duvet over her head as Sirius summoned a colourful box towards him, and started ripping off the paper.  
****  
  
  
  
"Hermione, its five thirty, what the hell are we doing?" Harry rubbed his eyes as he put on his glasses.  
  
"Giving Sirius a surprise bithday party."  
  
"He wont even be awake..." Ron mumured.  
  
"Dont bet on that." Harry grinned, "But i can think of something else he'll be doing and wont want to be disturbed by a way-too-hyper Hermione."  
  
"Thanks for the visual." Ron scowled. "We have the entire morning you know... its a Sunday."  
  
"What's the commotion?" Remus crawled through the portrait hole, still bleary eyed.  
  
"Sirius' birthday."  
  
"Oh yes." Remus nodded, "Nice and early, before he twigs on that we're up to something."  
  
"See!" hermione gave Harry and Ron a patronising glare.  
  
"Where's it going to take place?" Remus asked, scanning the marauder's map the harry had brought own from the dormitory with him.  
  
"Shreiking shack." Ron stated, flumping down into one of the overstuffed armchairs.  
  
"Yes, thats a good idea." Remus nodded, "Wont be disturbed by people and can make a lot of noise."  
  
Hermione looked triumphant.  
****  
  
***FLASHBACK***  
  
Edea sat down on one of the many Hogwarts chairs in the great hall. Azkaban visits really drained her. she'd safely put away the Lestranges in a cell, and had found it unnerving how in the cell opposite a pair of familiar dark brown eyes were staring up at her with a lost look.  
Those eyes did not belong to a madman, just someone who wasn't sure on what his life was heading towards.  
  
"Alright?" A silky voice came from behind her.  
  
"Not really. Don't you have a class to teach?" Edea asked, not turning round.  
  
"You took them in safely i presume?"  
  
"Of course. They were screaming before i even left their cell." Edea laughed bitterly. "Great place to be in."  
  
"Dont you have to file a report on it for the ministry?"  
  
"Already written and filed away." Edea smiled sadly. "Efficiency at one hundred percent."  
  
"You're not alright, come, let me boil you up something."   
  
"Why are you being so nice to me?" Edea asked, turning round in her chair to stare up with her steely blue eyes.  
  
Snape raised an eyebrow. "You followed the stereotypical view of me that Potter set down, I'm not one to follow stereotypes."  
  
"Cryptic arent you."  
  
"Made sense to me." He extended a hand, "Come, the dungeons are empty. I can make you something without the noise of schoolchildren in your ears."  
  
"Why are you teaching, you hate teaching. You hate children. You hate rules that arent your own."  
  
"I'm good at what i do."   
  
"So i've heard." Edea followed him through many corridors. "You dont have a very nice reputation with the kids in here."  
  
"They get used to it." Snape shrugged. "I'm a potions master, not a kindergarten nurse. Its not my job to mollycoddle them, its my job to teach them the fine art of potion making."  
  
"Nasty."  
  
"You dont have much of a nice friendly reputation yourself." Snape unlocked an empty dungeon, and with a wave of his wand had lit the fire at the front. "Efficiency may be one hundred but the charming auror persona is below average."  
  
"Full of compliments aren't you."  
  
***END***  
  
  
"How long do i have to walk like this for?" Sirius whined underneath his blindfold, his arms were searching out in front of him... "If you're sending me into the welcoming arms of the giant squid...."  
  
"That would have been such a good idea." Ron grinned at Harry.  
  
"Next time..." Harry agreed.  
  
"Stop!" Rmus held Sirius back whilst Hermione picked up a long stick and froze the Whomping Willow. "All right, on your knees and crawl into the gap..."  
  
"Hands and knees? Are you gonna play darts with my ass?" Sirius murmured to himself, feeling the way through the tunnel.  
  
"Another fine idea." Harry elbowed Ron.  
  
"Oooooh, i know where we are..." Everybody jumped as Sirius laughed, and felt for the trapdoor, "Whomping willow, shreiking shack..."  
  
"Clever boy in your old age." Edea pushed him up through the wooden hatch, and followed him, pulling up Remus and Harry, Hermione and Ron.  
  
"Can i take it off now?"  
  
"Nuh-uh." Edea spun him round, "Wait a second."  
  
"Someone take a photo of this..." Hermione giggled.  
  
"What are you guys doing to me." Sirius almost giggled.  
  
"You'll see." Remus nodded at Harry, who took a few photos of Sirius in his predicament.  
  
"Okay." Edea stepped back, you can take it off..."  
  
"Thank goodne.... OH MY GOD WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY LEATHER?" Siris shrieked as he realised his trousers had turned bright pink with the words "I'm thirty eight, save me a seat on the bus please..." along the sides.  
  
Remus had to hold onto the table to stop himself from falling over laughing at Sirius' expression.  
  
"Priceless." Ron grinned.  
  
"OOoh, cake!" Sirius pointed at the cake in the table that was in the shape of a big black dog. "A padfoot cake."  
  
"I got you a little something." Remus handed his old friend a small box, wrapped up in red paper.  
  
"Wow moony..." He opened the box and let out a laugh... "You remembered."  
  
"Of course."  
  
Sirius took the silver chain out of the box. "It even says Padfoot on it."  
  
"Army Dog Tags." Edea raised an eyebrow. "Very fetching."  
  
"You have no idea what trouble buying that thing in the shop was." Remus frowned, "Can't touch silver... the shop owner was giving me weird looks."  
  
"What did you say?" Sirius asked, cutting everybody a slice of cake.  
  
"Told them i didn't want to touch it and leave fingerprints." Remus shrugged. "They fell for it."  
  
He picked up a floppy parcel Ron and Hermione had given him... "New robes! i have new robes!" He grinned, hugging them both... "Ta, muchly."  
  
"OOOOh!" He picked up a broomstick shaped parcel from Edea. "I havent had one of these.. for about sixteen years... a firebolt!... aha Harry... i'll beat you yet!" He gave Edea a quick kiss before turning back to the pile of gifts. "Wos this from... Fred and George Weasley.. oh yes..."  
He opened the bag and was engulfed in a pale green smoke... when the smoke died down he had grown a green moustache. "Classic." He grinned. "I have to pay them back now... how good does it look?"  
  
"Clashes wondefully with your trousers." Remus assured him.  
  
"Brilliant." Sirius's grin faltered as he saw a blue rag in the corner... "What the..."  
  
Remus followed his gaze and reached the corner first. "Padfoot! You said you didn't have anything to do with its disappearance!"  
  
"I... um..." Sirius swallowed. "Its still here?" He looked at Harry... "Did you know that it was here?"  
  
"yeah, we found it earlier." Harry nodded, "Hermione's cat found it."  
  
Sirius picked up the blue ragged Sweater. "This is James' favourite sweater." He smiled nostalgicly, "This has a story to tell."  
  
"If you want to destroy my sweater!" Remus shouted in a mock rage which Harry assumed was an impression of his father.  
  
"That belonged to my Dad?" Harry asked, half shocked half awe-struck.  
  
"Yes." Sirius nodded, blowing the dust off. "Ages ago... Like... we were your age..."  
  
"Sirius wanted to steal... sorry... *BORROW* it." Remus sat down, and informed Harry.  
  
"He hid it." Edea put two and two together. "Do you realise what lengths Lily went to trying to help James find that?"  
  
"He really really liked it, huh?" Harry watched as Sirius folded it up neatly, a faint glitter in his eye.  
  
"I didn't destroy it, i kept my word." Sirius murmured happily. "What a great day."  
  
"Wait till you see the rubber ducky." Remus grinned as he saw Sirius's shocked expression.  
  
"You never!"  
  
"Oh i did." Remus nodded... "I did."  
  
TBC  
  
sorry- i temporarily forgot all about moldie voldie... he'll be back sometime soonish. 


	12. Stressed and poised for action

part twelve  
  
***********  
  
thank you to those who've reviewed, you're making me keep on writing when i could have stopped ages ago. To those who cant be bothered- up yours.   
  
***********  
  
now then... where was i? oh yes...  
  
  
Edea sat on the grassy edge of the lake, marking end of topic tests in the sunlight whilst trying to ignore the zooms that could be heard overhead. Harry and Sirius were holding races against each other on their broomsticks. Sirius wanted to make things "interesting" by using blindfolds.  
  
"No way." Harry shook his head, hovering a few feet above the giant squid. "This is just an elaborate sheme of yours to get me squidged by either flying into a tree or flying into the arms of the squid."  
  
"Its a very friendly squid." Sirius tried to persuade. "I'm sure it wouldn't mind."  
  
"And that makes me feel so much better." Harry laughed.  
  
"damn." Sirius muttered. "Eds, persuade him for me."  
  
"Harry, kick him." Edea paused in her marking to look up at Harry chasing Sirius on his broom.  
  
"I do hope you're not condoning violence between students." Professor McGonagall's shadow loomed over Edea's papers.  
  
"Of course not, Minerva. I'm teaching Harry the useful skill of assertiveness."  
  
"I'm sure you are." McGonagall raised an eyebrow as Sirius shreiked after receiving a good kick from his godson. "Immature." She muttered. "Be that as it may, but Professor Dumbledore requests an audience with you immediately."  
  
"Oh... okay." Edea snatched up the stray pieces of paper and sent them up to her office with a movement charm. "Do i get a reason?"  
  
"He shall tell you when you get there."  
  
"That bad, is it?" Edea laughed, walking up to the castle doors.  
****  
  
  
  
"To return to my own body i must have a sacrificial body to mould to my own form."   
  
"But how master, what sort of body?" MacNair was using most of his willpower to keep an impassive face.  
  
"Any body. A body with power." Voldemort waved away MacNair's indescision. "Someone young enough, but who has stopped growing. A youth's body would not be appropriate."  
  
"Do you have.. any preference?"  
  
"Yes. You have a choice of three- Severus Snape, Sirius Black or Edea DuCruet."  
  
"Edea DuCruet?" MacNair frowned "A female form?"  
  
"It will mold into my form once the ritual starts... You have a choice of three... Let me warn you now that Snape will be the most dificult to procure, i would suggest trying Black if you are running short on time." Voldemort sank into his chair. "Wormtail's body is not the most efficient, and his form is ungainly.. I need my servant in a different body should i wish to continue my work."  
  
"It is understood, my master."  
  
"Alas, where is Lucius Malfoy?"  
  
"In Azkaban, my Lord." Knott spoke up. "Trialed and sentenced a few months back."  
  
"Indeed?" Voldemort shook his head, "Pity, pity. Such a death Eater i am sorry to lose. This time our breaking out of Azkaban shall be more discreet i think."  
****  
  
  
  
"Headmaster?" Edea asked, opening the door to his office. "You asked for me?"  
  
"Indeed I did, Edea, please, take a seat." Dumbledore gestured to a chair opposite his desk.  
  
"Is it serious?" Edea frowned, trying to read Dumbledore's expression.  
  
"It is on two matters, the first i am afraid is most likely bad news. The second depends on one's perception of the matter."  
  
"Go on."  
  
"Voldemort, weak as he may be, is recruiting new Death Eaters, this i am sure of... but from a spy in his ranks i have heard he is planning to extract himself from he body of Wormtail, and return to his previous form."  
  
"Oh... dear." Edea rolled her eyes, "Never gives up."  
  
"Indeed he does not." Dumbledore agreed, "I must ask you to keep this piece of information quiet."  
  
"Of course."  
  
"Not even Sirius please."  
  
"I understand, but tell me, how did you find out.. if Severus isn't within his circle any longer?"  
  
"That.. is betwenn me and myself."  
  
Edea nodded, raising an eyebrow. "And the second issue?"  
  
"I'm concerned about you Edea." Dumbledore rested his chin on his fingertips, "But more about the well being of your son."  
  
"How... the hell did you know?"  
  
"You think Severus has not told me?" Dumbledore almost smiled, "I know a lot more than you wish to believe."  
  
"So he's told you HIS story has he?"  
  
"I did not take it at face value. I do not believe you would walk out on him and your son so easily without some extraordinarily good reason." Dumbledore's gaze was locked with hers, he would know if she lied.  
  
"Who else knows?"  
  
"I believe Remus also worked it out, he overheard you talking and talked to Severus about the issue."  
  
"Great." Edea dropped her gaze to her feet. "If Remus knows Sirius wont be far off."  
  
"Thats my concern over the issue."  
  
"Sirius?" Edea sked incredulously. "Doesn't need to know."  
  
"I think he does." Dumbledore leaned back, "He suspects something is up, you know tis too, at least be honest with him."  
  
"He'd kill me, no he'd kill Severus first, then he'd kill me." Edea laughed, "Can you imagine what would happen?"  
  
"I do not believe he has any right to be angry over the issue, being in Azkaban leaving you free to do as you wished he had nothing to say over the issue at the time, though keeping it from him at a time like this, he does have rights to be angry about." Dumbledore stood up, and started pacing, "You should tell him, before someone else does, or he finds out by himself."  
****  
  
  
  
Sirius grinned, walking back up to the DADA office with his broom over his shoulder. He'd thrashed his godson at broomstick racing and was feeling the afterglow of winning. He whistled a jaunty tune as he rounded a corner an once again walked straight into Snape, poking his shoulder with the broom handle.  
  
"Watch it Black!" Snape spat, "Or were you planning on doing serious damage with that broom of yours?"  
  
"Depends who it is." Sirius grinned wider, "I've got no qualms about damaging you."  
  
"Really?" Snape spat icily. "If i was you, i'd be more careful in future, you wouldnt want to leave that precious wife of yours vulnerable to your enemies would you."  
  
"What on earth... i do happen to think she could beat you to a pulp if she ever wanted to." Sirius flicked a bit of dust of his cloak, "And when she does, i'll be sitting on front row."  
  
"I didnt mean it in that context." Snape smirked, "I cant believe she would be so dishonest as not to tell you..."  
  
"Tell me WHAT Snape?" Sirius had dropped his broom and had grabbed the collars of Snapes robes and pinned him up against the wall.  
  
"Didn't you know?" Snape choked, still smirking. "Whilst you were busy in Azkaban, she went and had a son."  
  
Sirius blanched, then regained his composure, "So WHAT?"  
  
"Dont you want to know who the father is?" Severus pushed Sirius off him, "Might interest you."  
  
"I'm going to cut out your lying little tongue." Sirius growled at Snape. "How Dare you?"  
  
THWAK. Snape caught Sirius' jaw in a vicious punch, Sirius staggered a few steps backwards before narrowing his eyes and aiming a hard kick at Snape's stomach, winding the potions master. Snape bent double trying to regain his breath, Sirius hit again, knocking him to the floor.  
  
"Dont." Punch, "You." swipe, "EVER." punch, "Slander." kick, "My Wife." punch "Again." Sirius drew in a deep breath before picking up his broom and walking in a different direction.   
  
Snape wiped the blood off his face and pulled himself up against the wall in a sitting position. "Vicious temper you have there, Mister Black." He winced as he felt his ribs, "Lets hope your lady doesnt see that in action."  
****  
  
  
  
Sirius sat on the grass watching the sun set over the mountains. He was staring at the blood caking on his right hand. So what if she'd made other plans whilst he had been imprisoned, she had a right to live, right? Of course she had. Siris shook his head laughing bitterly as he thought to himself. He'd shown himself that he still had that quick temper he was famous for. He'd seen his reflection in the lake, and had a large cut on his jaw where Snape had hit home. It still hurt, a dull throbbing pain that was there as a reminder of what he'd rather forget right now.  
  
"What's going on?" A small voice asked from behind him. "Why are you all bloodied up?"  
  
"Sometimes... you cant help it, kid." Sirius looked down at his knees. "Sometimes its all you CAN do, and sometimes there are things that stop you from doing what you want to do, and you dont find out till years later."  
  
"I'm sorry to hear that, Mister Black, sir."  
  
"Who are you anyway?" Sirius turned his head to see a mop of ginger hair standing a way behind him.  
  
"Ginny Weasley."  
  
"Ron's sister, huh?"  
  
"That's right." Ginny nodded, when he looked at her like that, it was easy for her to see why everyone found him frightening.   
  
"Do me something, tell that brother of yours to get a move on with Hermione, or he'll end up regretting it later when its too late to change everything." Sirius let a small smile creep across his face. "Reminds me of Remus... he waited four years just to tell this one girl he liked her... waste of time if you ask me, she ended up leaving and marrying some Hufflepuff."  
  
"Dont you think you should come inside and let Madam Pomfrey...."  
  
"You know, i must be stupid, to think someone would wait twelve years for one person who they thought had no chance of ever coming back out anyway." Sirius picked a strand of grass, "But she was still there, and Harry was ready to believe me, it made me think anything was possible."  
  
"Anything is possible. You just have to believe in it." Ginny sighed, "I have to get back, its curfew soon, maybe you should get inside too..."  
  
"No, i'll be fine." Sirius watched her run back up to the school. "Black," He told himself after she'd gone, "You're a grade one idiot."  
  
  
TBC 


	13. Thirteen- unlucky for some

  
part thirteen (unlucky number for some- unlucky chapter it is for some characters also)  
  
*************  
  
Sirius didn't move, it had started raining and he was drenched to the bone. But he didn't move, he sat in the quickly flooding grass just watching darkness creep up on him.  
  
****  
  
  
"Have you seen Sirius?" Edea was running through the corridors, asking various students if they'd seen him. SHe hadn't seen him since earlier that morning.  
  
"Sorry Professor." A small second year shook his head,   
  
Edea kept on running, checking various classrooms, curfew had started about an hour ago, the firey lights on the corridor walls had dimmed down completely and nothing could be heard but the steady rumble of thunder and the smattering of rain on the stone.  
****  
  
  
Severus Snape was sitting in front of a fire in his Dungeon classroom busy making wolfsbane potion for Remus when a voice came from the doorway. "Okay, tell me, who is he?"  
  
Snape turned to face the voice. "You wouldn't want to know."  
  
Sirius stepped into the room, dripping wet. "No?"  
  
Snape stood up, no taking chances this time. "COme near me again Black and Dumbledore is going to know about this."  
  
"I would have thought." Sirius squeezed the water out of a corner of his robe, "That he knew already... Being omniscient and all."  
  
"You wouldn't want to know." Snape said again, almost silently. "You'd kill her."  
  
"And you care?" Sirius almost let out a laugh, but stopped, his jaw fell. "Unless..."  
  
Snape didn't even look at Sirius, but kept on stirring his cauldronful of potion.  
  
"She wouldn't... you... you wouldn't..." Sirius was shaking his head, looking disgusted. "That's... that's just... not possible."  
  
"Sirius!" Edea slid oen the door, "Thank god.. i was getting worried."  
  
Sirius turned to look at her. The look on his face said everything.  
  
"What... what the hell have you Done to yourself?" Edea pointed at his jaw.  
  
"its nothing." He mumbled. "Nothing."  
  
"I should probably leave." Snape said silkily,  
  
"You're not going anywhere." Sirius growled, pointing his wand at Snape. "Eds, lets go."  
  
"What..."  
  
"LETS go." Sirius said pointedly, pulling her out of the door. "WHere is he?"  
  
"Who?" Edea asked, followig Sirius' fast pace back up to her office.  
  
"Your boy... Snape's boy.."  
  
"Oh." Edea looked down as Sirius flumped down onto her desk, still sopping wet. "At his home."  
  
"How old?"  
  
"Ten," Edea said quietly, "Coming to Hogwarts in September."  
  
"Oh, really?" Sirius asked, once again almost laughing. "I should have guessed."  
  
"Guessed what."  
  
"You do this on purpose?"  
  
"NO!" Edea shouted at him. "All a mistake, everything."  
  
"MISTAKE?" Sirius matched her volume... "How can you say that?" He stood up, "You calling that poor kid a mistake?"  
  
"No! i'm calling what i had with Severus was a mistake."  
  
"How long the hell did that last for?" Sirius was pacing the room now, leaving wet footprints on the floor.  
  
"A year, maybe just over." Edea muttered. "Its not like i thought you'd ever come out of that place... and no one was talking to me afterwards, they all thought i'd failed the auror business. Severus listened to me... he was nice about it all..."  
  
"So you decided to drop your robes?" Sirius stopped the moment he said that, and lowered his voice instantly.. "Gods Ed, i didn't mean to say that... i..."  
  
Edea had already slammed the door behind her.  
  
"That went well." Sirius told himself.  
****  
  
***FLASHBACK***  
  
"You're leaving?" Severus asked incredulously, "After all this? You're leaving?"  
  
"I dont really have much of a choice."  
  
"You do. You're just going to walk away from Lucifer, you're going to walk away from what you have here?"  
  
"I dont belong here." Edea said simply. "Your mother made that clear, and its obvious neither of you want me to have anything to do with my own child, so i'm leaving him in your dear mother's capable hands."  
  
"What utter nonsense." Snape said, shocked. "You belong here, in this house, with me, with our child, where do you think you're going to go to?"  
  
"Somewhere not here." Edea bewitched her bags which became miniature sized and she placed them in her pockets. "I thought i could love you, and i've found out that i can't so i'm sorry about that, and its better if i leave."  
  
"Still after the traitor then?"  
  
"I'm after nobody. I'm a lone wolf. Sole survivor. Single star in a constellation. Solitary leaf on a tree full of flowers, whatever you want to call it." Edea stepped out of the door. "You can tell Little Lucifer that Daddy drove Mummy away when he was tiny, and Mummy didn't have a choice."  
  
"You're a coldhearted little swine." Severus shouted after her retreating form.  
  
"No Severus," Edea called back. "I'm a shining star."  
**END**  
  
  
"She mean something by saying that, didn't she." Severus asked Remus, who had heard the whole thing earlier with Sirius and Edea.  
  
"I'm guessing she did." Remus nodded, drinking a goblet of wolfsbane. "Cryptic, but very clear if you can untangle it all."  
  
"Do you know where she went? i didn't hear from her until she came back here."  
  
"yes actually." Remus nodded. "She came to me."  
  
"She did?" Severus frowned, "How so?"  
  
"Well, i'm not sure if you knew, but me, Sirius, Edea, and Anna- we house shared not that far from Godric's Hollow. I was taking a walk, and found her sitting by the ruins." Remus placed the empty goblet on Snape's desk. "That's where she stayed. Its nice to have your friends round you."  
  
"She never told you?"  
  
"She told me that she had been with you, but not about your son. Then, about a year later, she disappeared into the realms of the Muggles. Up until when i saw her here when she took up the job, i have no idea what she was doing after she left."  
  
"I hope Sirius isn't going to do anyhing he might regret..."  
  
"He wont, he's all talk. They've been arguing ever since they first met. Believe me, he'll open his mouth, say something ridiculously stupid, enrage Edea and finally apologise when he realises what he's done. He can't be angry with her for long. He loves her too much." Remus walked towards the door. "I know we dont get on well, but i think you should listen to this from me, don't beat yourself up about this, he doesnt like you, thats true. But its his way of saying he's confused with the situation, if this goes as it normally does, its going to be over by tomorrow morning. He wont talk to you for the rest of your life, but i'm guessing you wont lose sleep over that."   
  
"No." Severus agreed, "I dont need to beat myself up, Sirius has already catered for that."  
  
Remus shook his head, closing the door softly behind him, just in time to see a tearful Edea streaking past the corridor towards the One eyed witch.  
  
"Oh Sirius." Remus muttered to no one in particular, "Well done, idiot."  
****  
  
  
"Spill it Padfoot." Remus walked into the DADA office. "What did you say?"  
  
"Nothing." Sirius's reply was muffled by the pillow.  
  
"Well NOTHING seems to have really upset that wife of yours." Remus sat down in a chair.  
  
"I said some stupid stuff." Sirius looked up at his friend, "Got carried away."  
  
"Dont you think that maybe you should apologise to her?"  
  
"No." Sirius answered.  
  
Remus's eyebrows rose at this, "You dont?"  
  
"No." Sirius repeated, "I cant believe this, maybe i'll wake up and it wont be real."  
  
"Sirius. Look at this from her perspective."  
  
"Dont particularly want to right now." Sirius rolled over onto his back, staring at the ceiling. "Why does he have to get her, AND the child too? Remus, am i just cursed?"  
  
"You wouldn't have wanted to, not at that time, you saw the troubles Lils and James had with bringing up Harry during Voldemort's reign. Can you imagine you and Edea doing that at the same time? Chaos... Plus, you were in Azkaban afterwards. Not like you had much of a say in it. I'm betting she never thought she'd see you again."  
  
"Next time, can you tell me all this before i go and explode at her?" Sirius asked  
  
"I can try, not promising anything, you're like a volcano, i have no idea when you'll blow."  
  
"Volcanologists... they know when they're gonna blow."  
  
"They can predict, but arent always accurate." Remus corrected, "Siriusologists have even less of a chance."  
  
"Where'd she go?"  
  
"Hogsmeade most probably, went in the one-eyed-witch direction." Remus watched as his friend dragged on his soggy boots and pulled a fesh cloak over his shoulders. "Sirius, try to make this work, okay?"  
  
"Course. Moony. 'Course." Sirius smiled weakly before walking out of the door towards the one eyed witch.  
****  
  
  
"Whos' this?" MacNair asked as a figure climbed out of the Honeydukes window.  
  
"Score." Knott grinned. "DuCruet."  
  
"Doesnt look too happy does she."  
  
"Not our problem, i tell you, she definitely wont be a happy bunny when we're through."  
  
"Where's she headed?" MacNair pulled out his wand. "We should stun her before she has the chance to disapparate,"  
  
"No. We must take out time, if she suddenly moves and sees us then our plan will be a lost cause and our master wont be pleased."  
  
"Wait wait... who's the other one?"  
  
"What other one?"   
  
"Someone else... climbed out after her."  
  
"They together?"  
  
"Nope. Looks like DuCruet's disappeared off up the road. He hasn't seen her." MacNair smiled, "We have two... This, my dear friend, is Sirius Black."  
  
"You're kidding... he dont look like the guy in the paper."  
  
"Filled out a bit hasn't he." MacNair silenced Knott with a look. "We get the guy, then we double back and get the girl too."  
  
"STUPEFY!" MacNair pointed his wand at Sirius, who slumped to the floor, stunned.  
  
TBC-  
  
uh-oh!!!!! poor sirius! 


	14. Eddiemort

  
part fourteen  
*************  
i gave a clump of new chapters a few days back all in one go, so here's the rest- starting with where i left off.. well.. kinda... hols- this is remus central- its for youuu! where has he been for the past few chapters (nudge nudge, wink wink)  
*************  
  
  
  
"How is he?"  
  
"Sleeping fitfully." MacNair gave the tossing and turning body of an unconscious Sirius Black a good kick.  
  
"Good." Voldemort smiled to himself. "He is but dreaming... and the other?"  
  
"We lost her... she had...disappeared my lord..."  
  
"I see." Voldemort paced the room. "Well, you have not failed me, as you brought one here to me, I asked for just one. However- you missed a startlingly good opportunity to rid the world of a pesky little witch."  
  
"When do we start the ritual?"  
  
"When the moon is at a half, which i believe is in a days time. The moonhawk must not be disturbed until it is time for the potion to be completed."  
  
Voldemort smiled to himself, "Such sweetness comes forth from the mouth of revenge."  
  
MacNair and Knott shared a "what-the-hell?" look at this.  
****  
  
  
  
"Whaddya mean he's gone?" Edea pounded her fist on the table, making the mug spill its contents.  
  
"He went after you." Remus ran a hand through his hair, "And didn't come back."  
  
"Are you SURE you didn't hear anything?" Professor McGonagall asked Edea  
  
"Howling wind, rain, tree branches snapping, that's about it." Edea shrugged, "No Sirius."  
  
"Ladies and Gentlemen." Dumbledore opened the office door, "Once again i have to say that i am2 the bearer of bad news."  
  
"Oh?" Harry looked up, dearching Dumbledore's face for the worst.  
  
"There were traces of portkey useage in some bushes behind Honeydukes at about the same time as you were in Hogsmeade last night."  
  
"That could have been anybody." McGonagall snapped, "Or Sirius by himself."  
  
"I don't think so." Dumbledore stroked his beard, pensively, "You see Minerva, it had traces of three users, one unconscious."  
  
"How can you tell?" Remus asked quietly, "If one was out cold or not?"  
  
"A portkey can distinguish, and does so by leaving behind its traces, if a person willingly touches the object or not. One of these three did not, and was in no position to." Dumbledore answered, staring out of the window. "Usually, a simple charm can be used to scramble the traces, but these were left intact, which brings me to two possible conclusions."  
  
"They wanted you to know." Edea said thoughtfully, "or were in a hurry, and didn't have enough time to cast the spell which although simple, takes a while to perform."  
  
"Exactly." Dumbledore smiled. "I'm thinking the latter theory is more probable."  
  
"What does he want Sirius for?" Harry almost choked.  
  
"We do not, as yet, know the answer to that particular question, and as Professor Snape cannot possibly go back to scout..."  
  
"Do we know where the portkey went?" Edea asked, "Or at least it's bandwidth."  
  
"All i could tell, was that it was a 58mile portkey, if they walked further from the portkey destination, then i would not be able to tell you."  
  
"Someone get me a map, with all the large settlements and country mansions labelled." Edea said clearing a space on the tabletop by sweeping the contents onto the floor with her arm. "And some string."  
****  
  
  
  
Sirius woke up, and rolled over expecting to see Edea. Needless to say it was a rather large shock to find he was alone in a stone cell. In the corner an oil lamp was burning, casting looming shadows across the room. Everything was blurry, and his head was throbbing.  
  
"What the hell did i have to drink last night." Sirius mumbled to himself, standing up groggily. Then it all came back to him- The argument, Remus being... well... Remus, and the tunnel into Honeydukes.  
  
"Crap." He stated, shaking his head, trying to regain his focus.  
  
"Well, well, well." An icy voice made Sirius stop in his tracks. "Our ever so wonderful friend Sirius Black is here to join our feast, my faithful death eaters... Let us unlock his door and give him a place at our homely table. We would not want our guest to feel left out now would we..."  
  
"YOU!" Sirius pointed at the Voldemort/Wormtail hybrid. "You come near me and i'll pin your vital organs to the ceiling with toothpicks."  
  
"Empty threat, Black." Voldemort shook his head, placing a charm on Sirius to make silver shackles appear on his arms and feet. "Come, you do not want to miss our feast."  
****  
  
  
"Edea had marked out a fiftyeight mile circle using the string on her map of Great Britain. Most of the circle lay out to sea, but a small section was on land, South of Hogwarts.  
  
"You see here, there are three large settlements and a mansion close to the boundary." Edea pointed out.  
  
Snape, who had been keeping an unusually low profile since the day before, came forward and scrutinized the map carefully. "That's the Malfoy mansion."  
  
"Bingo." Edea grinned, "Do we have a plan?"  
  
"I have an idea." Harry said quietly. "I know that Crabbe and Goyle- they have a lot of Draco's old Hogwarts stuff in their dorms, if they have any charms surrounding the houses, surely anything of Draco's would also have -like Dumbledore said- traces upon it, so you could work out the charms from there... and break in?"  
  
Dumbledore smiled down on Harry, "That, is a good plan."  
  
"So that gets us in." Remus started pacing. "It'll be guarded, how do we get past them?"  
  
"You're forgetting something." Edea raised an eyebrow at Remus. "Eddiemort is here."  
  
"Huh?" Harry voiced the general confusion of the room.   
  
"Joke. Voldemort- Eddiemort... geddit?" Edea threw up her hands exasperatedly.  
  
"DuCruet, do you think this is a good time to be JOKING around?" Snape spat icily.  
  
"Listen, the tattoo i have may have faded since its overuse in recent events, but it still gives me the advantage... even if its not as good as it was before."  
  
"It fades with use? It gets less effective?" Remus asked quzzically.  
  
"Well, it's been through a lot." Dumbledore shrugged, "But that won't help you fool Voldemort."  
  
"Won't know unless i try." Edea moved over to her trunk and pulled out a long black cloak, with a deep hood. "Death eater Eddiemort is here."  
  
"With a name like that, nobody can take you seriously." Remus almost smiled.  
  
"That's the point. At least, with Eddiemort, Sirius will get the hint that its me, and we have a sort of plan."  
  
"She's getting delusions of grandeur again." Snape sighed heavily, sinking into a chair.  
  
"Harry." Remus suddenly turned to his former student. "Can i ask you a favour?"  
****  
  
  
"This is ridiculous." Edea hissed, "I can't see you."  
  
"But i can see you." Remus's voice came from behind her. "Just trust me, i'll be right behind you, i can tread on your cloak if i see danger or something."  
  
"Can you answer me truthfully, am i unhinged?"  
  
"No," Remus laughed, "Not unhinged, just have a lust for danger."  
  
"Okay, that is more easy to come to terms with." Edea held Draco's diary in her hands and passed through the magical wards unharmed, with Remus straight behind her. She hid behind a large oak tree. "Remus, do you know how to fire a gun?"  
  
"OF course." Remus nodded, "Interesting things they are."  
  
Edea handed him a small handgun and loaded the cartridge. "Stay out here. I need you to be able to create a diversion when i have Sirius... If you can manage it, try using a crossbow with flaming arrows, once you've blasted the glass windows. According to Snape, the dining chamber is on the first floor, and it's that large window up there... I'll give a signal, your left hand will turn red if i'm in danger, blue if i need the diversion and green if i want you to run like hell cuz they've seen you."  
  
"Diversion is blue danger red and run like wolf is green, got it." Remus nodded, pulling the hood of his invisibility cloak back over his head. "Good luck."  
****  
  
  
Sirius sat in stony silence, watching the Death Eaters congratulate themselves and their master for capturing the elusive Sirius Black, even if he WAS technically free. From the snatches of whispered conversation he could hear, it sounded like they were planning to use him as a sacrifice to separate the hybrid. The door creaked open and another cloaked figure entered the room, Sirius noticed that this figure seemed slightly more nervous.  
  
"Ah," Edea said from under her cloak. "So sorry, my lord... i'll just be er... leaving..." Edea smirked under her hood, she was mimicking the voice of Narcissa Malfoy rather well, and meeting the real Narcissa earlier, tying her up and hiding her in a cupboard had proved rather useful.  
  
"Narcissa, please, do join us." Voldemort sneered. "I'm afraid, the only spare seat is next to this rather obnoxious sacrifice, but no matter. He wont be seated there for long."  
  
Edea peered out from under her hood, nobody could see her face, and they all assumed that nobody would dare impersonate Narcissa. Nobody would dare touch a Malfoy, widow or not. She made her way over to the spare seat with that swagger that Narcissa had.  
  
Sirius rolled his eyes, great. That was all that he needed right now. A ruddy Malfoy. He was taken aback, when the "Malfoy" grabbed his arm under the table and pinched him to attract his attention. The rest of the table was once more busy with drunken gossip and tales of adventure, everyone respected Narcissa, and therefore left 'her' alone.   
  
"What?" Sirius hissed.  
  
'Narcissa' didn't answer, her attention was caught by the conversation turning to Aurors. One in particular.  
  
"Well, as far as I've heard, being from the ministry and all..." MacNair was speaking loudly, and the whole table was listening... "She's right up there with Arabella and Dumbledore..."  
  
"Of course she is." Another one piped up, "Tries it on with ev'ryone classed as male..."  
  
Edea noticed Sirius bristle at this, but suddenly someone asked her, to comment...  
  
"Well, Lady Malfoy, didn't you use to have to share potions classes with the bitch?" One hooded death eater asked sneakily.  
  
"I did. Not that i need or want reminding of it." Edea said as snootily as she could. Even Voldemort/Wormtail had taken notice now, it wasn't like Narcissa to pass up the chance to slag off someone who she disliked. Edea quickly realised this and carried on...  
"She used to think she was everything, such a waste of human space... I find it a pity that you failed to capture her, i for one would have personally enjoyed watching the torture."  
  
"Over my dead body." Sirius suddenly growled,   
  
Edea secretly grinned and kept on going... "Oh yes... i forgot about your liasons with that piece of filth. Had names for each other didn't you" The table was crowing with laughter. "What was that you called her when she got angry... Eddiemort.. or something?"  
  
Something in Sirius clicked, nobody knew about the weird names they called each other expect themselves.  
  
"Eddiemort?" Voldemort laughed his highly pitched cackle. "Thinks she is comparable to me, does she?"  
  
"It seems that way." Edea thanked her lucky stars when the topic changed to effective ways of muggle-killing. Sirius was giving her strange looks now.   
  
After about an hour of endless brain-numbing arguments and discussions about traitors and the ministry, Sirius looked down to the shackles on his hands, and found, to his surprise that they were unlocked and at that moment, the same was happening to the siver shackles on his ankles. He looked across at 'Narcissa' with unease.  
  
Remus was startle awake from his dozing when his hand turned blue and started to tingle like he had pins and needles. He picked up the muggle handgun and pointed it at the middle of the large catherdral-esque window of the dining room.  
  
TBC-  
  
nyah!!! itscha cliffie! Well actually its getting a tad too long so i decided to cut it at the most easiest point, which just happened to be here. The cliffie was just a side effect... honest!  



	15. Moats and Midnight Blues

  
  
part fifteen  
************  
  
this could go on forever ya know...  
song of the update is: new order- true faith. its a good song, i like it, and it fits in well with some of sirius' stuff throughout the series.  
  
************  
  
The room was an uproar, the large stained glass window had shattered suddenly, and now, blazing arrows were firing through, setting the tables alight, and a few death eater's cloaks.  
  
"What is this?" Voldemort shrieked incredulously, as a smoking arrow pinned his arm to the table.  
  
Sirius stopped to watch and laugh, that was something he wanted to remember forever, he was dragged out of his reverie by someone tugging on his arm... Her hood was slipping and he could see that Narcisa wasn't at all the snooty uptight blonde haired wrinkled-nosed stick that she had seemed to be earlier.  
  
"Eds?" He asked as he tripped over one of the death eaters who was frantically crawling round trying to find his wand that had caught fire in the chaos.  
  
"What have we here?" Volemort ripped the arrow from his arm and picked up Edea (who had fallen over Sirius as a result of him tripping over) by the scruff of her cloak.  
  
"Never fear... Eddiemort is here..." Edea choked as she stuck the tip of her wand in his eye. Voldemort let his grip loosed and he reacted to the pain. Sirius jumped up over the table and grabbed a wand off MacNair, stunning him with such force that he flew across the room and hit a stone bust of Lucius Malfoy with a sickening crunch.  
  
Edea and Sirius were hurling an array of hexes and curses at the crowd but had to admit the were being backed up into a corner... or the open window at least.  
  
"That's a long drop." Sirius hissed.  
  
"You're telling me?" Edea rolled her eyes. The death eaters were like a pack of hyenas who knew they had just cornered their dessert.  
  
"How particularly fortunate... now we have two." VOldemort smiled evilly.  
****  
  
  
  
Remus stared up at the window.. two figures were standing on the ledge, their backs facing the open grounds. "Oh.... great." Remus sighed, he couldnt fire any more arrows in case they hit either Eds or Sirius and there was no way he could communicate with them... the dememtors guarding the main doors had sensed danger and had increased security. There was no way of getting into that building. Then his attention was caught by something creeping round the side of the building... The midnight blue cloak was only just visible in the rapidly diminishing evening light... Pulling the invisibility cloak over his head, he started to walk, silently in the direction of the figure... If that was Snape.. Remus was personally going to throttle him, and that wasn't in his nature at all.  
The figure seemed to be casting a spell on the ground, whch was just as well really if Remus had known what was going to happen next...  
****  
  
  
"I'd rather die than join you." Sirius spat at Voldemort. "And i was a fool for trusting you, Wormtail. You're nothing, in fact, you're less than nothing. And as i have to be alive for this little sacrifice party you have planned, i think i'll resign from the position of chief sacrificee."  
  
Voldemort wiped the spit from his eye, and raised an eyebrow. "Really?" He laughed. "You think you have a choice?"  
  
"I certainly do." Sirius took a step back and disappeared from view, Edea had forgotted she was still gripping onto his robes, and was pulled down after him.  
  
"Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii..." Edea screamed as they fell past window after window... She closed her eyes, waiting for the second deathly thud in her lifetime, and found none, instead she heard a loud splash and soon after, fell into the water herself... She opened her mouth to scream when she realised she was underwater, and opening her mouth would not be adviseable under the circumstances. Remus, she thought, You're a lifesaver.. literally.  
****  
  
Remus almost tripped over his own feet when he saw Sirius take a step back out of the window, and started running as they fell. Stupid idiot. Remus thought. "Think of something." He shouted to himself.   
  
He needent have bothered, as Voldemort's scream of defeat rang out through the mansion, he watched in amazement as a large deep moat appeared round the walls. Edea and Sirius fell into that. It wouldnt kill them, just wind them slightly, and feel a bit painful..  
****  
  
  
Sirius dragged himself up onto the edge of the moat, coughing up the water he'd swallowed in his shock. He saw a bloddy hand grasp the grassy edge and reached in to haul Edea out by her sleeve.  
  
"Clever..." Sirius murmured to himself. "Didn't remember that being there."  
  
"Sirius?" Remus asked, pulling of his hood. "You need to get out of here, the death eaters, they're coming..."  
  
"They wont see us just yet." Another voice said quietly, "I like to think you'd credit me with a half decent illusion charm Remus."  
  
The figure found three pairs of eyes staring up at her with horrified expressions... "Well... the man of so many words has been reduced to nothing." She muttered, eyeing Remus' invisibility cloak.  
  
"A... Anna?" Remus croaked "You... You're okay?"  
  
"Of course she's okay, idiot." Sirius snapped, feeling his ribs for bruises. "Where've you been, Moony? Cloud Octopus?"  
  
Moony didn't answer, he was to busy hugging Anna, and muttering nonsensical sentences.  
  
Sirius shook his head, grinning slightly, his grin vanished however when he saw three dementors gliding round the side of the building.. "Er... is this a good time to point out that there are... Dementors in the vicinity?" He was shaking and had turned an unnatural shade of white.  
  
"They can't see us." Remus shrugged, "we just need to lie low here for a while until they pass, then we can leave."  
  
"Illusion charms... they're no use against non-human creatures..." Anna murmured,   
  
"I have a word of advice for such situations... "RUN!" Sirius picked himself up and pegged it back to the forest, the dementors in hot pursuit of the crowd. They hit the spell barrier.  
  
"Its closed." Edea shreiked... Pounding on the wall. "Open up you buggers."  
  
"Yeah, you may as well say open sesame..." Remus snarked, then stopped as the barrier fell... "I was only joking..."  
  
The group set off at a run again as the dementors, confused at the lack of barrier, carried on after them.  
****  
  
  
  
"I cant just sit around and wait." Harry stood up, breaking the silence... "I can't afford to lose Sirius..."  
  
"Harry..." Dumbledores placed a hand on the boy's shoulder, "You can't deal with this situation, you must let them do it themselves and have faith that it will be successful."  
  
"I... i just feel so useless." Harry sank down into his seat, he looked across at a particularly peeved Snape. He looked awful, Harry thought.  
  
Snape stood up slowly. "I agree.. with... Potter." He looked like he was hating saying every word of that sentence.  
  
Hary raised his eyebrows in surprise.  
  
"I can't just sit here and wait for them to either die or return... even if i don't care about their welfare." He added as an afterthought.  
  
Hagrid laughed. "Didn' think yeh had it in yeh t'be compassionate."  
  
"I wasn't being compassionate." Snape said sneering at the half-giant. "I was commenting on my dislike for sitting round waiting, when something constructive could be done."  
  
"I don't think you're the right person at the present time... Sirius might... react badly." Dumbledore chose his words with care. He was unsure whether Harry knew everything, and wasn't gong to take the chance.  
  
Snape snorted and sat down again, resuming his favorite occupation of out-staring Harry.  
  
TBC  
  
sorry its short, i have to do some art before tomorrow, when the oil paint will have dried and will be no use...  
  
thank you to those who keep reviewing and saying such cool stuff. its nice to be appreciated... a big smile to you all! 


	16. Snape Junior

  
  
part sixteen  
************  
  
hehehe no brace i have no brace.. ahh how sweet life is.   
oil picture is finished its a cross between a werewolf and a hippogriff against a blood red sky, it'll be up on Liberi F. soonish, ie when its completely dry, if you want to see it, it'll be up around next saturday at http://www.geocities.com/jade_kenobi/ and will also be on Halutirius when i get that up and running.  
************  
  
  
"What do you mean it wont let us get back to Hogsmeade??" Sirius shreiked incredulously, holding the old tattered newspaper portkey in his hand.  
  
"They've blocked the whole surrounding are, nobody can use protkeys to places other than the ones thay the death eaters use." Remus said pensively, "Very clever of them."  
  
"We're not here to congratulate those.... half-lifes on their brain capacity, we're here to get OUT of this place." Anna said forcefully to Remus, who looked particularly subdued after that comment.  
  
"Oh just give them the middle finger." Edea snarked, sitting down against a tree.  
  
"Yeah, that's really going to help you." Sirius rolled his eyes. "Why dont you go the whole way and throw them your wand too."  
  
"Anti apparition wards too." Remus was testing the surroundings with various sparks flying out of his wand. "They've really thought this out."  
  
"Lets people in, but not out, so you're lulled into a false sense of security." Edea nodded, "Wow."  
****  
  
  
  
Dumbledore's office was in silence, all that could be heard was the faint drumming of fingers upon wood, which came from Snape's corner and Fawkes ruffling his feathers.  
  
The tension in the room could be cut with a knife, and was reaching snapping point. It took one more sigh from Harry to break it.  
  
"I've HAD IT." Severus Snape suddenly stood up, and almost kicked the chair across the room. "I dont care what i am and am not supposed to do... i know the Malfoy Manor better than any of them..."  
  
"Severus... please." Dumbledore stood up, looking at Snape with calm eyes. "This isn't the time."  
  
"Damn your timing." Snape's eyes narrowed, "I have a debt to settle." And with that, he left the office and could be heard pounding down the stairs."  
  
"What does he mean?" Harry looked up, "Is this still about my dad saving him from Remus?"  
  
"No, no." Dumbledore said gentle, "This goes much much deeper."  
  
"Do you really think...?" McGonagall was eyeing Harry beadily. "Headmaster.. i dont think you should be the one to tell him."  
  
"I doubt Sirius would want to tell anyone. If Professors Snape and DuCruet have kept it quiet for such a while..."  
  
"Will someone PLEASE tell me what is going on?" Harry said a bit louder than he intended.  
  
"Harry..." Dumbledore began, taking no notice of Professor McGonagall. "I'm not entirely sure i should be telling you this, so i would like you not to spread this around..."  
****  
  
  
  
"You think we have a chance to just out-run the barriers?" Remus asked the group.  
  
"Right now.. not likely." Sirius looked around, "We dont know the lands round here, they're out here looking for us.... Hell knows where they are right now."  
  
"I'm surprised they havent found us here."  
  
"Check the ground." Anna pointed down at some weird symbols in the earth.  
  
"Protection and holy symbols." Edea murmured tracing one. "Weird,"  
  
"Helpful." Remus shrugged. "Someone must have drawn these who knew about the manor, and the dementors..."  
  
"And all the spells and counter charms.." Snape finished for him as he walked freely into the glade.   
  
He was greeted by a handful of rather unfriendly, steely looks.  
  
"What are you doing here?" Sirius spat. "I cant even get away from your stench when i'm running away in a really not good situation."  
  
"What i am doing here." Snape said menacingly, "Is saving your prideful arse, lord knows why i'm even bothering..."  
  
"Shut up." Anna shouted at them, "Both of you. This is no good. How do you even THINK we can get out of here when you are bickering between you about something that happened years ago that bears no significance to the situation?"  
  
"She has a point." Remus mumbled. "I think you should let it slide, Sirius."  
  
Sirius let out a groan, then shut up, and just glared at Snape instead.  
  
  
"Death Eater approved Portkey." Snape said simply. "Take ahold, it leaves within the minute."  
  
Reluctantly, everyone touched the mouldy newspaper clipping.  
****  
  
  
  
"Where the hell are we now?" Sirus picked himself up of a cold marble floor, trying to make out some surrounding in the dim chandelier light.  
  
"Oh. No." Edea shook her head, "You right ba..."  
  
Remus silenced her with a look, "Severus?"  
  
"Welcome to Snape Manor." Snape said with the most Unwelcoming demeanor he possessed.  
  
"Rather decadent isn't it." Anna said, looking at one of the statuettes in an alcove. "You have litle house elves running round in armies too?"  
  
Snape didnt reply, he clicked his fingers and a small slightly pink-tinged house elf appeared. "Elf, i want you to turn off the anti-werewolf and animagus curses i have on this building."  
  
"Yes, sir!" The elf squeaked, curtseying to her master, "Would Sirs and Ladies like refreshments?"  
  
"Later, have them ready in the drawing room." Snape said, taking of his travelling cloak and hanging it inside a cupboard hidden in the stone walls.  
  
"As much as i hate saying this..." He started. "I'm probably doing better by showing you around first." He stared pointedly at Sirius- "If you dare touch the wines in my cellar..."  
  
"I know i know." Sirius rolled his eyes. "Infinite hexes, castration, the usual."  
  
"I need a drink." Edea said firmly, and stomped off in the direction of the kitchens.  
  
"is she always like that?" Anna asked curiously watching the retreating figure.  
  
"Mostly." Remus shrugged, "Not normally as stressy."  
  
Sirius glared at the group before trudging off after Snape, up the stairs and round the corner,  
  
"This is where you will stay, until i have clear orders from Dumbledore that you can return to Hogwarts." He gestured to a lavish room, fire blazing away in a corner fireplace.  
  
Edea sauntered in after them, holding a glass of red wine in her hand. "Oh, this place."  
  
"You've stayed here before?" Remus asked, already knowing the answer. "Oh.. of course."  
  
"Severus, what's all this noise?" An elderly woman with a hooked nose and yellowing teeth had walked in, a sneering young boy following her. "Lucifer was trying to sleep."  
  
"Mother..." Snape put on a forced smile. "How lovely to see you again.. these are.. er..."  
  
"We're his best friends." Sirius suddenly grinned, seeing the potential for mischief.  
  
"Oh really." Mrs. Snape the Elder grimaced at him. "i was unaware that my son cohorted with mass murderers."  
  
"Isn't the world strange!" Sirius said with a mock thoughtful expression. "I can see who ol' Sevvy has inherited his utterly stunning looks from."  
  
Snape shot Sirius a deathly look.  
  
"What are you doing in my home?" The young boy said arrogantly to Sirius, "Daddy, what is HE doing here."  
  
Sirius looked confused for a second, then it hit him... "Daddy didn't tell you then?"  
  
"Sirius, leave it." Remus hissed.  
  
"You will curb your tongue young man." Edea said stonily at her child. "I dont seem to remember such a loud arrogant mouth on my son when i last visited."  
  
"You should have stayed away." Mrs.Snape narrowed her eyes. "Stirring trouble."  
  
Sirius, meanwhile had crouched down to look at the boy, whilst everyone else was watching the growing catfight between Snape's mother and Edea.  
  
"You like Quidditch?" Sirius asked tentatively.  
  
"Yeah!" The boy's eyes lit up, "Daddy doesnt want me to play, he says i should devote my time to studies and stuff, but i've got some books under my bed..."  
  
"What team?"  
  
"Royston Ravens sound pretty cool."  
  
Sirius nodded, "They slaughtered the Cambridge Calyphers three hundred to sixty five."  
  
"Daddy told me about you." The boy looked down apprehensively, "He said you took mummy away."  
  
"I would have had a bit of a problem doing that," Sirius smiled weakly, "I was in er... in prison."  
  
"Daddy said you were with Mum before. And you lived with the werewolf."  
  
"His name's Remus, try to call him that, its not his fault." Sirius whispered. "Tell you what, i have an idea."  
  
The boy's eyes twinkled, making Sirius grin slightly.  
  
"Holidays, before you go to Hogwarts, come over to stay... when we like.. have a house. I can tell you all the stuff me and your mum and my old friends did to your dad when we were at school."  
  
"I dont think Daddy would want..."  
  
"I dont care what your Daddy wants. Your mum loves you, remember that, okay?"  
  
"I know."  
  
Meanwhile the two women were escalating to volumes nobody would have dreamed of.  
  
"YEAH? WELL WHY DONT YOU GO BACK TO THAT... THAT...."  
  
"COME ON... SPIT IT OUT!" Edea shrieked, throwing Remus off her arm, who was trying to restrain her.  
  
"YOU GOOD FOR NOTHING LITTLE SWINDLER... I SAW YOU FOR WHAT YOU WERE...."  
  
"STOP IT... NOOOOOOW!" Snape shouted, silencing the commotion, Edea snarled at him and before he had a chance to stop her, she disapparated from the room. Sirius looked up, scowled at Snape and disapparated after her. It was obvious where she had gone.  
****  
  
  
  
Harry was playing a strained game of chess with Seamus when a flustered Hermione came in, desparately straightening her robes, she said nothing but hurried up to her dorm. Harry shrugged, maybe she had just been told she'd got less than eight out of ten on a homework or something.  
  
Seamus had just check mated his king when Ron burst through the potrait hole, also looking slightly worse for wear, leaving a merry Seamus to congratulate his chess pieces, Harry followed Ron up to their dorm.  
  
"Ron?" Harry asked, as Ron flumped down on his bed.  
  
"Hermione." Ron said, grinning. "Astronomy tower."  
  
Harry let out a laugh. "You didn't!"  
  
"We did."  
  
"RON!" Harry smiled for the first time in days, just seeing Ron look like that, was so funny... He HAD to tell Sirius, when he got back.  
  
TBC  
  
sorry it took so long, i was grinning to much to think about writing. but i wrote anyway. 


	17. Back in the old days.... 1970-77

chapter seventeen  
  
Interlude-   
Someone asked me to write what happened when this lot were in Hogwarts, and i'm at a dead end with the whole snape thing at the moment, so this little chapter will be an entire flashback, of little segments in various spaces in time during the seven years when the marauders were ickle people.  
  
  
*one*  
  
  
"Uhm.. 'Scuse me? Is this compartment taken?" A ginger haired girl poked her head round the door to a nearly empty compartment with just two occupants, a black haired blue eyed girl who was busy reading a spellbook and a brown haired boy, asleep on the other seats.  
  
"No, please- dump you stuff and pull up a chair. Well... take a seat would be pmore appropriate." The girl smiled, pulling off her glasses. "Who're you?"  
  
"Lily.. Lily Evans."  
  
"Evans... not part of the Lewis Evans dynasty are you?"  
  
"No, no." Lily looked confused, "My parents aren't magical."  
  
"Oh, thats alright then." The girl grinned, "I'm Edea DuCruet, the guy over there is Remus, he doesn't like train journeys, hence the sleeping."  
  
"He looks really ill." Lily agreed. "Has he talked to you at all?"  
  
"yeah, before the train left. I got us some food from the trolley but he's not woken up since."  
  
"Are you sure its okay if i sit in here?"  
  
Edea laughed, "I wouldnt have let you in if i had thought differently. "Nasty people coming in this year, my dad was telling me about some people."   
  
"People to look out for?" Lily asked, trying to get to learn some names for the unfriendly faces she'd met futher up the train.  
  
"This slimy creature called Severus Snape apparently, his family arent nice people, swindlers."  
  
"I'm really looing forward to this." Lily said, pulling a sandwich out of her bag, "My parents were really surprised to find out about this whole magical thing, but i'm not sure my sister..." Lily drifted off into her thoughts.  
  
"Eds, you okay in here?" A voice called out from the doorway.   
  
"Hey Donovan, yeah, i'm fine." Edea waved up to her brother. "These are my friends, Lily and Remus."  
  
"That boy okay?" Donovan looked over at the sleeping Remus, "He looks ill."  
  
"He doesnt like trains."  
  
"Alright." Donovan nodded, "I'll be up in the prefects carriage if you need anything."  
  
"Your brother's cute." Lily grinned when he'd left.  
  
"Too late, he's got a girlfriend, and EW..." Edea spat out a bertie botts bean, "Brie flavour."  
****  
  
  
  
  
"BLACK, SIRIUS!" A young boy with mussy long black hair sat on the small stool... "GRYFFINDOR!"  
  
"DUCRUET, EDEA!" Edea sat down on the stool, listening to the Hat's tirade... "GRYFFINDOR!"  
  
"EVANS, LILY!" The ginger haired girl from the train looked apprehensive as she pulled the hat down over her eyes, "GRYFFINDOR!"  
  
"FLETCHER, MUNDUNGUS!" Was sorted into Ravenclaw, as was Susan Flaherty and Germania Harris.  
  
"LUPIN, REMUS!" caught the attention of both Lily and Edea, as he had woken up for the last half of the journey, and had proved a veritable encyclopaedia on magical creatures, even bringing out his small puffskein called Crescent. Lily and Edea both chered as he was sorted into "GRYFFINDOR!"  
  
Malfoy, Lucius was sorted into Slytherin, and Fiona Matthews was Hufflepuff. Then came a boy with thick messy hair that stood up at all angles, they noticed that the Sirius Black boy had crossed his fingers as POTTER, JAMES was called, and greeted to the Gryffindor table.   
  
"PETTIGREW, PETER" Was also a Gryffindor, and stumbled gratefully into his seat, blushing furiously.  
  
Edea pointed out SNAPE, SEVERUS, to Lily, whoa greed, that he was one to avoid if possible.  
****  
  
  
Second year-  
  
Edea slipped out of her bed, pulling her cloak over her nightie. Lily who had already dressed, was standing by the door, waiting for Edea.  
  
"Ready?"  
  
"Of course."  
  
"Lets go."  
**  
The four marauders were sitting on James' bed, with the exception of Remus, who had had to go home as his grandmother was ill, again.  
  
"Ready?" Sirius hissed at james and Peter, who was quivering in his fluffy slippers.  
  
"Lets kick some er... butt." James grinned, pulling his invisibility cloak over himself. "I'll go out there first, check the place is clear, then i'll tap on the portrait, signalling you to follow."  
  
"Hehehehee." Sirius let out a laugh. "This is gonna rule."  
**  
"What do we have to do?" Edea asked as Lily examined the picture of a fruitbowl.  
  
"I heard James whisper something about tickling a pear."  
  
"You sure thats not just his about sexual nature?" Edea grinned.   
  
"Eds!" Lily looked scandalised, "Just let me do this."  
  
"Alright, i'm standing on as a spectator." Edea stepped back as Lily reached up and tickled the pear, which giggled as the portrait swung open, revealing the humungous kitchens.  
  
"WOOOOW!" Edea grinned, climbing in after Lily, shutting the portrait behind her. "Food!"  
  
They were delving through the chocolate supplies when they heard shouts of glee from the main kitchens. Lily looked around to see Sirius heading towards their cupboard....  
  
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" Sirius screeched as he opened the cupboard doors to reveal Edea and lily hiding on an empty shelf. "JAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMES!"  
****  
  
  
Third year-  
  
"Black, what do you get if you switch nightshade with weasel liver?" Professor Snidget, their Potions master snapped at Sirius.  
  
"Er... a mess?" Sirius replied,   
  
"Five points from Gryffindor for your humour, Black, Potter, i told you two to stop talking!"  
  
"Professor," Snape drawled, "You'd get an illusion paste with nightshade, but with weasel liver it becomes dream solution."  
  
"Correct Snape." Snidge smiled, "You may take five points for Slytherin."  
  
James rolled his eyes, and started scribbling on a piece of parchment to Sirius- "Sirius, did Remus disappear again? You see, i've thought of something odd, he's always gone at a full moon, isnt that a bit weird? You saw how fidgety he was when Professor Lawla was teaching us about werewolves in DADA.... What thinks you?"  
  
Sirius read the note and raised his eyebrows, "You think that Remus is a werewolf?"  
  
Lily, who was sitting on the other side of James, glanced over and gasped as she read the note. James quickly scrumpled it up, but not before Lily had readthe entirity. When the bell rang, James and Sirius had disappeared, and neither Lily nor Edea could see where they'd gone.  
  
"A werewolf?" Edea looked confused, "He's not got the nature, they're supposed to be ferocious, evil things, but it explains why he'd have to leave every full moon. Lily, you sure that's right?"  
**  
"Remus!" Sirius caught up with his friend as he was leaving the common room to goto the dorms, "Rem, James peter and i... we want to talk to you about something.."  
  
"Oh?" Remus turned round, smiling slightly, "I'm not getting involved with another escapade into the Slytherin commonroom after last time."  
  
Sirius looked serious, "No, its... about somthing else.  
  
The common room was deserted except for the marauders, Lily and Edea were hiding behind a sofa.  
  
"Rem, where do you really go every month?" James asked his friend as they sat down infront of te fires.  
  
"My grandma, shes not well..." Remus said quietly, not looking directly at them. "I dont have a choice."  
  
"Every full moon?" Sirius asked, "IS it some sort of moon related illness?"  
  
"Kind of." Remus mumbled.  
  
"Remus," JAmes said to his friend, "Are you... do you... are you a werewolf?"  
  
Remus turned to look at his friends, after what seemed like an eternity, Remus slowly nodded. "I was worried..."  
  
Sirius cut in.. "That is SOOO cool!"  
  
Peter, who hadn't said anything for the entire duration, nodded in agreement.  
  
Remus hardly dared to believe it, he smiled as James grinned at him. "The beginning of a lot of fun..." James leaned back, "So where DO you go?"  
  
"You know the willow?" Remus said quietly looking round.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Its a secret passage, to the shrieking shack." Remus said quickly, still afraid someone else would hear. "Thats where Madam Pomfrey takes me, its where i transform..."  
  
"Amazing." Sirius whispered to himself, "A werewolf... a real werewolf... i would have never guessed, you're just..."  
  
"Not the type?" Remus offered. "look, can i ask you something?"  
  
"Sure" James sat up, listening.  
  
"Can you not tell anybody please... its its..not something many people like."  
  
Sirius heard a small gasp from behind the sofa and turned over looking over the edge... "LILY!" He froze... "EDEA!"  
  
Remus looked like his world had just ended as Lily and Edea stood up and walked out sheepishly from behind the sofa, "Hey." he mumbled, looking at the fire. He wasn't prepared for the huge hug he received from both girls who were mumbling stuff into his ear.  
  
Sirius looked scandalised, as did James. "Hey!" He called out... "At the weekends im an octopus?"  
  
"Ew." Lily looked at him. "Thanks for that."  
  
"Failed." James muttered. "Octopus isnt as good as werewolf."  
****  
  
  
Fourth year-  
  
"So.. who DO you fancy then?" Sirius asked James as they walked towards their Charms class.  
  
"You'll laugh." James grinned, poking his friend in the ribs, "And then you'll announce it to the world."  
  
"Oooh, so there is someone." Sirius let out a laugh, "Tell me"  
  
"No." James shook his head.  
  
"I'll hazard a guess." Sirius looked thoughtful as they streamed into the classroom, taking their seats, "It'll be a gryffindor, not necessarily our year, but by your standards not below...."  
  
"Sirius." Remus rolled his eyes, "It could be anybody."  
  
"You know!" Sirius said, mock aghast, "He told you, but not me!" He pulled out his quill. "Alright, we'll start with our class, there are only five of them. Anna?"  
  
James didnt move or say anything,  
  
"Edea?"  
  
Again nothing  
  
"Simeone?"  
  
"No movement, but Remus looked away at this point, distracted by Anna on the row below, who was charming her quill to squirt ink at the Slytherins.  
  
"Laura."  
  
Nothing.  
  
"Lily." Sirius said, watching James closely as a slight blush crept up on his face. "AAAAA!" Sirus whooped in delight, "Lily Evans!"  
  
At this point, Lily who heard her name turned round, and looked up at Sirius, "What?"  
  
"Nothing." James said quickly, "He was seeing if he could recite the names of the girls in the entire year... who he hasn't taken up to the astronomy tower yet."  
  
Sirius grinned, "Oh James..." He was interrupted by Flitwick writing down a charm on the board. "You're in for it...."  
****  
  
  
Fifth year-  
  
"I er..." James looked down at his shoes, nervously twiddling his wand... "I... would you go out with me?"  
  
Lily, had not been expecting James of all people to ask her that, not with his little fan club always at his heels. "I... i'd love to."  
  
James grinned as he saw Sirius get thrown into the lake by Remus and Edea. Then he turned back to Lily, "I have something special for you.. meet me by the one eyed witch at midnight tonight."  
  
Lily didnt have time to ask why as James had joined Remus in throwing Edea in the lake also. She crept up behind James who was laughing at Edea and Sirius' misfortune, and shoved him, he fell into the water beside Sirius, who was now choking with laughter.  
  
"Nice one." Sirius gave her the thumbs up.  
**  
"James? is that you?" Lily looked round, seeing nobody, she almost screamed as james head appeared from nowhere. "How?"  
  
"invisibility cloak... Dissendium." The one eyes witch moved aside. James motioned for Lily to go into the passage, "I'll be right behind you, just keep on walking...."  
  
"Where are we going?"  
  
"Hogsmeade."  
  
"Whats that in your hand?"  
  
"Map, me and the others have just created." James handed it to her, watching with a satisfied smirk as she watched the little people wander round... "Oh my god, WHAT is Sirius doing in our girls dormitory?... And Edea... oooooh my god."  
  
"No look, they're on separate floors, Sirius is directly below on floor two."  
  
"How can you tell?"  
  
"His dot is a different colour, the levels are colour coded to fit on a 2D piece of paper."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"Clever aren't I?"  
  
"yes, James Potter, you are definitely clever."  
****  
  
  
  
Sixth year-  
  
"How bad was it?" Edea asked as Sirius and James came out of Dumbledore's office.  
  
"Not so bad." Sirius wrapped his arm round her shoulder, "detention for the next week, letter home to parents, probably a howler in the next mail.. but they're funny."  
  
"You know." Lily said, "I dont think it was very fair what you did to Snape, even if he is an ugly slimy git."  
  
"How so?" James asked, kissing her ear, "I thought it was perfectly fair, he called you mudblood, we retaliated."  
  
"The teachers couldnt see it, only the students. it would have been funnier had they seen it." Sirius mumbled. "However, it was a job well done."  
  
"Only you, Sirius, only you."  
**  
  
"Okay, Remus we need a diversion, you dont think you could flood the great hall and add a few grindylows do you?" Sirius pulled out a sheet of parchment, covered in his scribblings.  
  
"I thought you were a prefect?"  
  
"I am." Sirius said grinning  
  
"So where's this responsible nature all prefects are supposed to have?" Remus questioned, laughing.  
  
"I dunno, it went on an extended holiday." Sirius shrugged, catching up with James who had just come out of Divination. "Oi, reindeer guy."  
  
James laughed. "Oi, poodle. Its a Stag, not a reindeer."  
  
"Wait til christmas." Remus said with the air of someone who was hiding something.  
  
James grinned, "Indeed. So, Paddy, can we shear your fur and give you little ringlet ears and bobbled feet?"  
  
"Nuh uh." Sirus reached up protectively to his shoulder length mop of black hair. "It'd ruin what's left of my street cred. Girls wouldn't like it."  
  
"Don't be so sure." Lily grinned along with Remus and James, "It could be the source of amusement for us girls, we could let you in on our hair care evenings."  
  
"You have evenings devoted to your hair?" James asked, disgusted, "What a waste."  
  
"She's joking." Edea raised an eyebrow, "However... now you mention it Lils, it COULD be a new enterprise for us girls. A sirius hair care evening... how intriguing."  
  
"I am leaving... NOW." Sirius said, turning round and running up to the gryffindor portrait.  
****  
  
  
Seventh Year-  
  
"Head boy... i could have guessed." Sirius rolled his eyes, "Did you SEE Snapes face on the train when you told him to move aside, cuz he was sitting in the head prefects compartments?"  
  
"It was... amusing." Remus said, not really paying attention, he was busy watching the trees and fields fly past them outside the train's windows.  
  
"Earth to Remus, do you receive me?" Sirius waved his hand past his face. "Totally lost."  
  
"Check this out." Lily passed Sirius a box that was on the floor, "There a new record me and Edea bought when we went shopping."  
  
"Whats this?" Sirius asked excitedly opening the box. "You remembered by birthday!"  
  
"Its a record player. A muggle thing. Look, you put the disc on the turntable like this, take the neddle and palce it in the grooves nearest the edge, turn the handle on the side and let it play." Lily showed, giving Sirius instructions.  
  
"Whats the song like?"  
  
"Like i said, its a new single out last week, its called Bohemian Rhapsody, by Queen."  
  
"The muggle queen sings?"  
  
Edea snorted, "No, its a group of four guys, Sirius this is 1977, the queen isnt gonna be singing is she? Not with all the punks and people running round."  
  
"You seem to know alot about this whole Muggle thing." Sirius exclaimed.  
  
"Spent the summer with Lily," Edea shrugged, "Twas fun learning the stuff."  
  
By the end of the train journey Sirius had belted out the entire chorus and was proceeding to make up a little dance routine to match, much to the amusement of James and Remus.  
**   
  
"In hindsight..." James grinned, standing up on the podium to address the school on the last day of term. "I have only one regret. That is that i can't stay, i have to move on apparently, or that is what i am told. In the event that i forget this very important fact, and you see me on the hogwarts express next september, could you possibly do me the favour of telling me before the train leaves the station that i'm no longer part of the student body of this school."  
  
He stopped to let the laughter die down. "I must admit that the past seven years has been the best of times and the worst of times, there are moregood and bad times to follow, of this i am certain. But as a word of advice to all of you, that i can actually be sane at times and a responsible member of the Hogswarts community, unlikely to some of you as that may seem... as a word of advice- in the bad times, try to remember the good, your first day, your first quidditch game, first look at your commonroom, remember that things can always get worse, and you are all the luckiest witches and wizarding students in the world to have attended the best school in the world. As far as i know, times are descending into a madness, a magical civil war is upon us, and i want it known, if i dont live to see you all when you're older and wiser (hopefully) i want it known that this place, Hogwarts school was the epitome of happines for me, and that for those wishing to remember me, when i'm old and decrepid, come here, come to see the place that i came willingly to every september, and left with a heavy heart every July."  
  
He sat own, grinning at the shocked faces of Remus Sirius Edea and Peter, who were sitting in the prefects front row. He'd spent ages on that speech, trying to get it right, he was surprised at his own writings as they were. Yes, it was true indeed, the Marauders had grown up, but would always be Marauders.  
  
  
TBC  
  
a/n okay thats the episode long flashback, now we'll go back to where i left off before. 


	18. splinched

  
  
part eighteen  
************  
Halutirius up (most of it) http://www.geocities.com/halutirius  
its got my sirius and buckbeak pic up on fanart- yaaaaaay!  
************  
  
"SNAP!" Ron exclaimed.  
  
Harry and Ron were covered in black soot as the cards exploded in their faces.  
  
"Fifteen games to three." Ron looked up at Harry, "You dont normally lose... you alright?"  
  
"I'm not allowed to say." Harry muttered quietly, "Dumbledore said i wasn't supposed to tell anybody, not even you."  
  
Ron looked a bit crestfallen at that comment, "He doesnt trust us?"  
  
"No, its not about trust. Probably more about keeping it as close to the family as it has to be." Harry sighed, wiping the soot off his glasses, "Tell me more about Hermione."  
  
"Well..." Ron looked like he was trying to organise his thoughts, "I think she was actually trying to revise some astronomy stuff, she had books all over the place, and was peeringinto a telescope when i went up to the tower."  
  
"And?"  
  
The lights in the rooms went out at that point, signalling curfew and bedtime.  
  
"I'll tell you in the morning." Ron said, climbing into his bed. "Not really that interesting."  
  
"Beats divination homework, believe me."  
****  
  
  
  
"I thought you'd be here." Sirius murmured, sitting down on part of a broken brick wall.  
  
"Obvious, am i?"  
  
"No, but we all come here when we're annoyed, and stressed out." Sirius pointed at what remained of a side wall, covered in ivy leaves. "We'd all huddle near there and let it spew forth to James. He knew how to raise the spirits."  
  
"Not really much left of it now, is there." Edea said, looking down at her hands. "People taking bits of bricks away as relics of the house of the boy who lived."  
  
"We're kind of skirting the issue here a bit aren't we?" Sirius grinned weakly. "Always the same, if it dont fit right, take it to the Potters, they always know what to do."  
  
"Give me an issue, i'll talk it out."  
  
Sirius thought for a while, "Tell me about this Lucifer boy."  
  
"I honestly dont know much of what happened after i left until now, he's a bit of an arrogant ass, gets that from his dad no doubt."  
  
"I talked to him, he's an okay kid once you get talking. Not slytherin material." Sirius let out a sharp breath, "I er... told him to come round and visit."  
  
Edea almost fell off the wall. "WHAT?" She shrieked, it echoed round the glade. "Sirius! The last time we 'talked' about this, you went all moody and evil, refusing to belive it, what changed?"  
  
"I had a good talking to, and wanted to say i'm sorry." Sirius gave her a look, "I was NOT evil."  
  
"What we going to do? We have a peter-voldie hybrid on the loose, an irate snape, a younger irate snape, harry, and oh.... does Remus know the moon's rising in an hour?"  
  
Sirius snapped out of his reverie, "What? FULL moon?"  
  
"No more no less." Edea said, "He doesnt know, he's forgotten..."  
  
"He couldn't have."  
  
"He hasn't had any wolfsbane..." Edea mumured, "We need to get back... NOW."  
****  
  
  
  
The group was sitting on various chairs, in complete silence. Severus was never letting his son more than an arm's length away from him. Lucifer was getting annoyed, "Dad, i want to go check the telelscope, we get to see the other side of the moon tonight, it like... is really rare and all..."  
  
Everyone's eyes suddenly turned to look at Remus. Who's eyes widened, then he pulled something out of his sleeve, "Oh." He said simply. "I should get out of here... as quickly as possib..."  
  
BANG  
  
Someone had tried to apparate into the room, and because of Snape's anti-apparition charms, they had got themselves splinched.  
  
"Great, why didnt you tell me you could disapparate but not apparate?" Edea's voice called out. Half of her was floating in a shimmering mess in the air. "This happens to be very painful."  
  
Another bang, and the bottom half of Sirius was floating in mid air as well.  
  
"Who says we should call for the magical reversal squad?" Anna grinned.  
  
"This isn't funny." Edea shrieked. "I have half of me left behind with the top half of Sirius."  
  
"I pity that particular half." Severus muttered under his breath.  
  
"Look, i really have to find somewhere safe...." Remus got up and was pacing the room. "I can't stay here... and.."  
  
A goblet full of a smoking blue substance appeared on the table before him.  
  
"Drink it." Snape said icily. "Then get the hell out of here."  
  
Remus didnt need telling twice, he downed the wolfsbane and disapparated, most probably to the shrieking shack.  
  
"Ummm.... help?" Edea murmured.   
  
"We'll call Moody." Anna muttered, turning to the fireplace.  
  
"NO!" Edea shrieked, "He'll laugh..."  
  
"Your point being?" Snape sneered.  
****  
  
  
  
"MUMMY!" A small child screamed out as she saw the top half of Sirius Black floating about 7ft in the air above her.  
  
"Shut UP!" Sirius wailed, "Uhh, i mean... nice muggle, good child... now now, theres no need for screaming."  
  
After the girl had run away, a group of teenage wizarding kids had stumbled upon the scene.  
  
"Whoa check it out man, The Azkaban Guy's splinched himself!" The group leader said in his gravelly voice. The rest of the group stood there laughing, until they realised half of the ex-auror was floating above them too, the entire right side of Edea was frowning down on them.  
  
"You are SO lucky i'm left handed." Edea clenched her fist.   
  
"Shes good with her hands." Sirius informed them.  
  
"SIRIUS!" Edea shrieked,  
  
"What? I was telling it like it is."   
  
Suddenly there was a pop and Mad eye Moody was looking up at them.  
  
"AHAHAHAHAAAA!" He laughed in his own weird fashion. "I thought i taught you better..."  
  
"You thought very wrong."  
  
"Seperatis apparatum corpus!" Moody pointed his wand at Edea, who fell to the floor in one piece.  
He did the same with Sirius, who landed in a heap next to the remains of a fireplace.  
  
"Ouch." Sirius muttered, standing up. "Would be an underestimate."  
****  
  
  
"Oh don't worry about Snape, he's *naturally* anally retentive." Edea had told her class one morning when they had just spent the first half of her lesson complaining about the amount of potions homework they'd been set. It had been a week since the whole splinching incident, and that had travelled round the school like wildfire, it didnt help, when Remus found out and practically spewed his pumpkin juice over the table.   
  
"That's not a nice thing to say." One Ravenclaw fourth year told her.  
  
"Uh okay." Edea leaned back on her chair, "How about i rephrase that whole sentence into, if i was you, i'd just do the homwork anyway, cuz he wouldnt change for the better if you didnt do it, and i dpeak from experience when i say he's one hell of an impudent little.... uh.... um...."  
  
"Having trouble discussing my talent in words, DuCruet?" Snape sneered, walking into her classroom.  
  
"Out." Edea pointed her wand at him. "This is my room, go intrude on someone elses."  
  
"Or you'll do what? threaten to splinch yourself again?" Snape smirked, as he received a very nasty display of faces from her class.  
  
"Severus tight-ass Snape... Get the hell out of my room.... NOW." Edea threw her textbook at him, she didnt care that the rest of the class was now gogging at her litle display of 'rage'.  
  
Snape sneered at her, "And you'd know all about that wouldnt you...."  
  
"ARGH." Edea launched at him, physically shoving him out of the door.  
  
"Um, Professor?" A small boy stood up, "Doesn't Professor Snape..."  
  
"NO HE DOESNT." Edea said, shutting the door behind her.   
****  
  
  
  
Elsewhere in the castle, Sirius Black was busy with Harry in the library, researching.  
  
"So, you think that we could create a sort of barrier?" Harry asked, flipping through huge volumes on barrier charms.  
  
"i think so, i mean, Peeves is a poltergeist, so it'd have to encage spirits and non-bodied things too." Sirius stumbled back to their small table, carrying a stupidly tall pile of books.  
  
"Why dont we ask Remus?" Harry ventured.  
  
"Cuz..." Sirius screwed up his face, "Reemiekins is having a very well earned break somewhere not here with his friend."  
  
"You never told me what happened at the Malfoy's place." Harry said cautiously,  
  
"Apart from Eddie dressing up as a Malfoy, calling herself Eddiemort, us jumping out of a window, uhm.... being a ritual sacrifice, almost dying, running like hell and splinching myself? theres not much to say." Sirius said quietly. "And the last detail is something i'm not too proud about,"  
  
"You're hiding something." Harry said,  
  
Sirius sighed, he hated it when Harry could see straight through him, just like James could. "We went somewhere else. Godric's Hollow in fact."  
  
"My parents house?" Harry asked quietly.  
  
"Yes, or what was left of it. Harry... people are taking bits away, and its not just the house itself thats there, all the possessions must be in there under the rubble somewhere and i dont know if some unworthy scavengers have been taking them to sell on as prized articles of historical evidence or something like that."  
  
"WHAT?" harry stood up, knocking a book off the table, "Who is doing this?"  
  
"I dont know, most people who come to uh.. 'visit' it seems."  
  
"Sirius... I have to go there, i know i've never faced going back befroe.. i just want to see it, i need to see it." Harry looked up at his godfather, who's eyes looked as dark and empty as when he came outof Azkaban, "I.. want you to come with me."  
  
Sirius nodded, "I'll come with you."  
****  
  
  
"What did you want earlier?" Edea asked, slamming the dungeon door behind her.  
  
"Our son came to me with a very... interesting question." Snape smirked at her. "It seems that your dear husband has taken to Lucifer."  
  
"Is that all? i know that already, you think i'm blind?"  
  
"He wants to stay with you over the holidays it seems." Snape closed in on her, "Do you think that's wise?"  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"I told you to stay away."  
  
"I'm sorry to inform you that i dont jump through hoops on command, especially not when its you, and you of all people should know that by now." Edea hissed, "You will let me see him or i'll take you to a magical court of law."  
  
"The court system is corrupt since you last paid a visit, its run by death eaters, they're no more likely to give you our son, than kill you on the spot the moment they see you."  
  
"I'll take that chance," Edea smirked in return, "Besides, you're telling me they dont want your head on a platter?"  
  
  
TBC  
  
yay another chapter, oh i have to point out at this stage that Lucius Malfoy isn't dead, he's in Azkaban, mad, but the again he was always a bit mad. hehehehe...... evil laughter....  
  
thanks to those who reviewed (smile!!!)   



	19. Kiss the Rain

  
  
part nineteen  
************  
righty oh, lets keep going. i think i lost it somewhere in that last chapter, i didnt like it much and it seemed slightly muddled, well that'll teach me to go totally off track into flashbacks for too long.... wont happen again, SORRY!  
************  
  
  
"Easter Holidays, what are you all doing?" Harry asked Ron and Hermione one afternoon.  
  
"Staying here as normal." Ron said, grinning slightly at Hermione.  
  
"Same here." Harry said slightly dismayed. "Sirius promised to take me to my mum and dad's house..."  
  
There was a tension filled pause, which nobody really wanted to intrude in, as Harry had developed a sort of closed expression that meant he was deep in thought about things he'd rather not talk about.  
  
"Any word from Remus?" Hermione asked, trying to brighten the mood.  
  
"Not a word." Harry grinned slightly, "He seemed anxious to get away..."  
  
"Tuh." Hermione rolled her eyes.  
  
"What?" Ron asked, bemused.  
  
"You know why dont you?"  
  
"Er..."  
  
"That lady who Sirius and Edea brought back with them." Hermione said it as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.  
  
"Who? Anna?" Ron asked.  
  
"Oh yes..." Harry nodded, "I asked Sirius about her, he seemed pretty vague."  
  
"At the moment he is permanently 'pretty vague'." Hermione huffed. "Not quite there when you talk to him."  
  
"Well come on.. he had his ego torn to shreds."  
  
"Well, he should have considered his ego before trying to apparate into a place where you phyisically cant." hermione said primly.  
  
Professor McGonagall came round with her list of holiday 'stay-behinds' at that moment, and all three of them signed up.  
  
"I would have thought," McGonagall started, "That you wouldn't be staying this easter."  
  
Harry just shrugged. "Not really my choice, is it."  
****  
  
  
  
"OI, bottlebrush." Sirius hissed from the side of a small log cabin, "I've found a way in."  
  
Edea rolled her eyes, "What is it with you and stupid names?"  
  
"Ask my parents." Sirius replied. "Not my fault your hair resembles one."  
  
"So you dont think Remus is home?"  
  
"Doesnt look like it, does it."  
  
"He could have charmed the place." Edea said, peering through the window, "Being a wolfie and all."  
  
"Probably, but i want to show you this place anyway."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Its nice." Sirius said simply, "i have some of my stuff left here anyway, and James'."  
  
"Alright." Edea sat down on a tree stump. "Break in them."  
  
"I am doing so." Sirius threw himself against the door, which slammed open, throwing him across the entrance hall, skidding to a halt near the stone wall.  
  
Edea heard a very feminine shriek and another voice that definitely sounded like Remus. "Wrong again, Paddy."  
  
"R...REMUS!" Sirius picked himself up. "Annnnnnd... anna... how lovely to see.... er... such alot of you... umm... hi?"  
  
"Sirius." Remus said in a deathly quiet voice, "What the hell?"  
  
"It LOOKS like i was planning on doing what you've already decided to do." Sirius grinned, waving at Anna, "Hows things?"  
  
"You have five seconds to get out... and pretend you never came here Padfoot." Remus said, trying not to laugh at the expression on his friend's face. "Five..."  
  
"Alright, alright, i'm gone." Sirius said, bowing before walking backwards out of the door, "By the way, you might want to ix that door, and.... nice shorts."  
  
Siruis rolled out of the doorway as a few hexes flew past his ear. "Damn." He muttered to himself as his arm started growing green moss.  
  
Edea shook her head, and grabbed his other arm, dragging him up to a standing position. "You're getting worse. Really, i mean, they're going to kill you next time they see you."  
  
"Should be fun." Sirius winked at her, "Remus-killings are always fun to watch. He usually does it so cool and calm, then suddenly just explodes at you like a dictionary with a mouth."  
  
"I know." Edea nodded, "I have witnessed them before, many many times."  
  
"Listen," Sirius stopped as they trudged back through the woods, "I've got to disappear for awhile, take Harry to see his family, that sort of thing, okay?"  
  
"Guess he'd want to go sooner or later." Edea looked down, "Do you think this is wise?"  
  
"I do, yes indeed." Sirius flicked a stray lock of hair out of his eyes, "Plus i want to go... talk to James... tell him some stuff."  
****  
  
  
"My Lord... how?" A croaky voiced hunched man knelt before Lord Voldemort.  
  
"Once again, Lucius, my friend i must tell you of my return to form? Surely the word has reached Azkaban?"  
  
"It has, it did reach... but i feared it was a lie... i feared..."  
  
"You feared everything Lucius, because you had nothing. But my dear friends at the minstry seemed to forget that the dementors are natural forces of evil, naturally they respond to me, so instead of breaking Azkaban open, i shall simply filter out those who are of use to me, slowly and one by one."  
  
"My lord... you truly are..."  
  
"Amazing, Lucius?" Voldemort smiled his tight lipped sneer. "Why yes, i do believe i am. Welcome back into the Fold, Mofloy. May you do better this time around."  
  
"of course, of course... anything.. absolutely anything you wish..." Lucius bowed down before standing up, and weakly moving towards the door. He would capture Harry Potter, if not for Voldemort, then for the memory of his son Draco.  
****  
  
  
  
Harry climbed off the back of Sirius's motorbike and stopped at the sight of a small village signpost, - Godric's Hollow -   
  
Sirius magically chained his motorbike to a tree trunk and started to follow Harry a few paces behind. This was his time, and Sirius knew better than to intrude.  
  
  
'Hello?, Can you hear me? Am i getting through to you? Do you miss me? I hear you say you do, But not the way i'm missing you, What's new? Hows the weather? Is it stormy where you are? You sound so close but it feels like you're so far.'  
  
  
The fine rain that was falling grew heavier into harsh droplets that splattered on his face and ran down his nose. Harry smiled slightly, "Talk about pathetic fallacy." He mumbled as he followed the small path past the local pub 'Godric's Gift' and the small post office.  
  
Sirius stopped at the pub, and compulsively peered through one of the small windows, like he always had done, years before, trying to see if James was in there, wanting a drink with his old friend. The bar was empty save for a few old residents who perched on their barstools, takling about the weather, and what their wives were cooking for dinner. He had to look away, or he'd risk that tear falling down his face, that pub had been the hub of some very good times, celebrating the birth of Harry, James' birthday, Remus's birthday, Peters brief engagement, it had lasted only four short weeks. If he looked hard enough, he was sure he could have seen Lily and James in that corner booth they always shared, drinking together, sharing their worries over a glass of whatever. James had always found muggle pubs fascinating, and once, on his stag night party, had ordered a glass of every beer the pub had on offer. Needless to say, Sirius had also taken up the challenge, and it had led to some interesting hangover experiments the next morning.  
  
Harry watched the squirrel that climbed over the one remaining block of wall, it looked so lost, so solitary. He found it difficult to imagine a house here, his parents living in this, voldemort coming here, Hagrid finding him... people arriving to pay homage.  
  
"Hey." He whispered to the ruins, "I'm back. Did you miss me? I'm sorry it took so long"  
  
  
Sirius sat down, running a hand through his soaking wet hair. What was that someone once told him.. Kiss the rain when you wanted to be near someone you had lost. He smiled weakly, closing his eyes, and facing up to the skies, letting the rain sting his face as it fell onto him.  
  
'James, i'm home.' Sirius thought, letting the rain dribble down his neck, 'Sorry i was late, i was unavoidably detained, you know, being in a prison cell an' all. How's Lily? Say hi for me, tell her Harry's okay. He looks just like you, really he does, but he has your eyes, Lils. Tell you what though, you'll never believe what i found out about Snape, the slimy git...'  
  
  
Harry stopped, and felt an urge to dig in the rubble. The thatched roof had long since been blown away, leaving burnt wooden beams laying across the ground. Harry tied to lift one away, but only managed to roll it across until it hit a taller piece of wall. He wiped his glases, clearing them of the raindrops, and started picking up pieces of stone, digging into the place he once would have called home. It was strange, that the further he dug, the more memories came flooding back, of when he was small, tiny fragments of memories, his parents, visitors, Sirius and Remus, the cellar his father used for working in... wait... they had a cellar... where the hell was the trap door to the cellar? Harry dug faster, with more urgency, throwing bits of rubble aside until he hit what sounded like a hollow piece of wood.  
  
"Sirius, i need some help." He called out in the rain. "I found something."  
  
  
  
TBC, yay, i like this last bit, i'll keep it going later-. till next time. boiboi! love ya'll :)  
  
oh i stole some of Billie Myers "Kiss the rain" cuz it was on the radio at the time i was writing this and i thought it was pretty appropriate. 


	20. Pah-fuuf and Dayah

  
  
part twenty (yay!!)  
************  
wow, this is going places.   
hehehe, i'm sorry its a bit late, i've been writing "how the Snape stole christmas." parody of the grinch, the ORIGINAL ANIMATION! not the rubbishy jim carrey one. its such a cool song, that i just HAD to rewrite it.... It'll be up on Halutirius sometime next week, once i've illustrated it.  
hehehe "he's as cuddly as a cactus.. as charming as an eel...." fits Snape doesnt it... hehehehehe  
************   
  
Sirius was woken from his reverie by the voice of his Godson, "Harry?"  
  
"Sirius... The cellar!" Harry waited for his godfather to scramble over the slippery stone rubble towards him.  
  
"What cellar?"  
  
"The one my dad worked in," Harry muttered quickly "Its down here, i can't open the door."  
  
"Its not even Enchanted." Sirius said quietly, grabbing hold of the bronze handle, pulling as hard as he could, the wood creaked under his effort, Harry bent down and found a bit of twisted iron, and as soon as Sirius had lifted if up a few millimetres, Harry shoved the iron bar between the door and the floor.  
  
"WHa?" Sirius asked,  
  
"Muggle trick, called crowbarring." Harry explained as he put all of his weight on pushing down the end of the bar, "If i push this end, it'll lever the door up, and because its a longer lever this end from the pivot, you need less effort, see."  
  
"Never did understand Muggle Physics." Sirius muttered, helping Harry push down on the bar.  
****  
  
  
  
"Hermione, what are you doing?" Ron asked, as Hermione hastily rolled up a scroll's worth of parchment.  
  
"Revision guides, as written by the wizards who write the NEWTS. I found a mistake in the Charms revision guide, i was explaining it to them."  
  
"Herm, the NEWTS arent till next year!"  
  
"Always good to revise early." Hermione muttered, "Might have some catastrophe to deal with between now and then, and then who'll be sorry they didnt start revising early."  
  
Ron mumbled something that contained the words "lunacy" and "completely mindless" before slumping down into an armchair by the window. "its raining." He mumbled.  
  
"Is today your day of pointing out the obvious?" Parvati Patil said snappily as she passed him  
  
"Probably." Ron said quietly, "I wonder what Harry's thinking about, he has a Quidditch game in a week, hes already missed practise all last week."  
  
"I think, we should just leave him alone, unless he talks about it." Hermione said wisely.  
  
"Fancy a game of exploding snap?" Dean Thomas had slipped into the chair opposite Ron.  
  
Ron grinned, and watched Dean deal out the cards.  
****  
  
  
  
"Okay, on the count of three, jump on it." Sirius said, groaning at the weight of the trapdoor.  
"One.. two... three."  
  
Harry jumped on the crowbar, and landed on the floor with a thud as the trapdoor lew off its inges and landed across the grass somewhere in one of the overgrown rose bushes.  
  
"Good work." Sirius nodded, looking down into the murky hole. "Typical, no stairs."  
  
"Lumos" harry muttered, pointing his wand down into the darkness, "I'm going down."  
  
"Harry?" Sirius started.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Harry you dont have to... you know... if you dont want to..."  
  
"Sirius. I'm going down there, you're coming with me, i want to know whats down there, i've hardly got anything to go by from my parents, and this could be what i'm looking for. I dont care if its nothing, its still something... I dont know them, Sirius, and if my dad has some of his stuff down there, then i feel closer to them, you see?"  
  
Sirius nodded, watching as Harry hoisted himself down into the darkness, he heard a splash, and a "bloody hell, its wet down here." Sirius roled his eyes and half slipped half jumped through the trapdoor. He landed with a thud on the wet stone floor.  
  
"You alright?" Harry asked, offering a hand,  
  
"Yeah, its a bit er... soggy." Sirius sniffed the air, "Mildew, great."  
  
Harry trudged over to the small desk in a dryer corner of the cellar, a half burnt candle sat on the top, with various pieces of parchment stuffed into the drawers.  
"Sirius... look..." Harry pulled out a clump of pieces of parchment, tied together with string, on the front sheet, "Marauders Momentous Moments" Was scribbled in what looked like very rushed writing.  
  
Harry sat down on the corner of the desk, and untying the string he started to read the postscript.   
  
**FLASHBACK**  
  
"James, what are you doing down there?" Lily shouted down to the trapdoor, where a cry of laughter could be heard echoing up to the ground floor.  
  
"No... nothing Lils." James grinned, as he quickly wrote a title for the collection of papers he had sorted out. "Postscript- I dont know who's going to pick these up next, but whoever does, warn Paddy that i have serious blackmail material here, Moony- if you're reading this- leave it alone! You're not supposed to read this, you have your own copy, read that instead. Wormtail- say hi to your mum for me, tell her the cake was delicious. Harry, you're upstairs right now, pointing at everything and calling them "Pah-fuuf" do you know how infuriating Sirius can be? i'm spending time trying to teach you to say daddy, and he comes along, five seconds later you're saying his name instead. this isnt funny by the way, so stop laughing. Anyway, waht i'm trying to write here is that this is a collection of the best moments i've had during Hogwarts, as i might not be here to retell them, if Voldemort indeed catches up with me, as its rumoured he will. Enjoy. Let these papers be immortal."  
  
James smiled, and pushed the papers into a drawer before climbing up the stairs.  
  
"You've got that grin on your face, what're you planning now?" Lily asked, smiling at her husband.  
  
"Just some memoirs, best times i've had up until now." James picked up Harry from the pram, "Hey Harry, how's you?"  
  
"Pah-fuuf!" Harry grinned widely, tugging James' glasses.  
  
"No, i'm not pah-fuuf, pah-fuuf will be round later. I'm daddy, yeah? can you say that? da-ddeee."  
  
"You're fighting a losing battle there, Prongsy." Sirius climbed out of the fireplace. "'Ello Harry! How's our little marauder this fine morning?"  
  
"Sirius, dont you have to be...?"  
  
"Nope, they blew up the headquarters remember, i dunno how i'm supposed to work when theres nowhere to actually work in." Sirius grinned at Harry, who was waving and shouting out "Pah-fuuf!" "Plus, i like visiting here, and i wanted to see how Harry's vocabulary was getting along."  
  
"Well, he's now up to Mamma, no, ray-bow, Moony, and thanks to yourself, Pah-fuuf." Lily counted on her fingers, "Hes doing pretty well, dont you think?!"  
  
"Well, thats impressive." Sirius nodded, accepting a cup of tea from Lily, "Edea'll be round in a minute, she went to see if Remus was okay."  
  
"You still think that Remus..." James frowned slightly at his friend.  
  
"I dont know." Sirius shook his head dejectedly, "It could be anybody, then again it could be nobody. I even tried to pin it on Eddie, but she doesnt know half of what goes on, what we plan, so how could she spy?"  
  
"You pinned it on Edea?!" James almost dropped Harry, "Jeezus. She throw one of her rages at you?"  
  
"Hyper-rage." Sirius nodded, "You hear that Harry?" Sirius took Harry from James and sat down in a chair, "Edea's not pleased with ol' Pah-fuuf. Pah-fuuf's in trouble now, Edeas gonna castrate pah-fuuf."  
  
"SIRIUS!" Lily said shocked,  
  
"D...da.."Harry gurgled,   
  
James jumped and knelt down at eye-height with his son.. "Go on! Daddy! say it... da-ddee!!"  
  
"Day-ah." Harry laughed, clapping his hands together. James looked defeated.  
  
"Yeah!" Sirius nodded, "Thats right, dayah's gonna murder pah-fuuf."  
  
The fireplace turned green and a figure tumbled out, covered in twig leaves and soot.  
  
"pah-fuuf!" Harry pointed at the figure who coughed a few times and stood up.  
  
"Nope, t'is me." Edea pulled her cloak off and rolled it up, keeping the dirt off Lily's clean floor.   
  
"DAY-ah!" Harry grinned.  
  
Edea raised an eyebrow, "Er... thats right. James, he can say our names, why dont you teach him yours now?"  
  
James rolled his eyes, "Take it out on pah-fuuf. Its his fault."  
  
"Pah-fuuf, feel ashamed." Edea turned to Sirius who was tickling his Godson.  
  
"I am shamed."  
  
"Hows Remus?" Lily asked, sitting own with Edea at the table.  
  
"I wouldn't know." Edea shrugged, "He wasn't there, house was deserted, charms still in place, he charmed it so nobody can enter it but himself, he's not in the vicinity."  
  
"He wasn't there?" James sounded worried, "No note, nothing?"  
  
"Nothing."  
  
*****END*****  
  
  
  
  
Sirius let out a laugh as he pulled out a few fake wands from the pencil pot. "We had such a good time with these in the ministry offices."  
  
"Can i take these home, back to Hogwarts?" Harry asked.  
  
"Of course you can!" Sirius nodded, "Everything here, is yours." He pulled a large carpet bag out from one of the shelves, "Put what you want in here, in fact clear out the lot, then you can sort through it back at school, yeah?"  
  
Harry nodded and proceeded to clear the cellar of anything that looked interesting.  
  
  
TBC 


	21. Donovan DuCruet

  
  
part twentyone  
************  
the big two one. yay. not much to say here.  
************   
  
"Hey, Where are you going?" Ron panted, regaining his breath as he caught up with Edea in the hallways. "You're wearing muggle clothes."  
  
"Observant." Edea grinned, "You remember when we all had to go to Azkaban, and Pettigrew had torched mine and Sirius' house?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"He torched my mercedes too." Edea said, with a bitter edge.  
  
"Mersaydees?"  
  
"My car, you know, the cream thing with the upside down peace symbol thing and wheels?"  
  
"Oh yes," Ron nodded, "Whats up, have they found it?"  
  
"Nono, i'm off out to get a new one." Edea grinned widely. "Did anybody tell you i have a car obsession?"  
  
"I have heard a rumour."  
  
"Well there you go then, i'll be back by sunset, if anybody asks- i'm in London. If Sirius asks- i'm nowhere near any car showrooms."  
  
"Alright," Ron grinned, "By the way, i needed to ask you something on your demiguises essay, can i catch you when you're back, Professor?"  
  
"Yeah, although demiguises is Remus's speciality- if he gets back before i do, go give him a shout."  
****  
  
  
"You all set?" Sirius asked, as he wrung the water out of his travelling cloak.  
  
"I think so." Harry nodded. "Sirius?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Before we go... Can i just... just stay here a while... alone.."   
  
Sirius looked down at the ground, before taking a deep breath, "Of course, here, take this."  
Sirius handed Harry a small bottle with a piece of silk inside. "Inside is the portkey, when you're ready it will take you to Hogsmeade, you know the way from there."  
  
"Thanks." Harry mumbled, "It means a lot..."  
  
"Dont think about it." Sirius smiled weakly before disapparating from the site of Harry's parents house, or the ruins of it.  
  
Harry set down the carpet bag and walked back over to the rubble, he sat down in the space where the medi-wizards had retrieved the body of his father. "Hey Dad." Harry said slowly, "I needed to talk to you, if such a thing could even be possible, alone."  
  
The rain had not ceased, and Harry had to admit, that however comforting it was to be sitting here, he was soaking wet, and would have to concede the battle against the rain soon.  
  
Something to his right caught his eye. Deep brown wood, cracked in places. Harry lifted a few stones from ontop of it and gasped, hardly able to touch it.  
  
"Dad, you left your wand behind." Harry murmured to himself, he didnt want to reach out to take it, just incase he found it wasnt real.  
****  
  
  
Sirius didnt go straight back to Hogwarts, instead he climbed over the style at the end of the village, pulling a small velvet wallet out of his pocket. He sat down in the field of grasses. It wasnt raining here, but still had a gloomy haze, as if it was threatening to pour down at any moment.  
  
He sighed, and opened his wallet, an assortment of photos were in one of the sides where muggles would keep their banknotes and cheques. He pulled these out and spread them out on the grass beside him. Pictures of his youth, pictures of Remus and James,Peter and even a few of Edea and Lily. One picture beckoned to him, their first day at Hogwarts. Their first meeting together, someone in the year above had obliged to take the photo. Everyone was in it, Him and James grinning and waving like idiots. Remus smiling knowingly and Peter in the corner looking slightly worried. On the second row were the girls, Lily and Edea looking like they were about to fall over, even Anna was precariously balanced on a low table, and one other, whose name escaped him.  
In the corner, next to Peter was a tall handsome prefect. The black hair falling into his eyes and the vivid blue stare was unforgettable. Almost a replica of the girl on the second row.  
  
"Donovan DuCruet." Sirius bit his lip, one of the most volatile and ingitious prefects he had ever encountered. His younger sister refused point blank to talk about him, sometimes even denying his existence. After he left Hogwarts he disappeared, and was never seen again. Some said the death eaters had caught up with him, and murdered him, some said he was a death eater, some said he was just damn unlucky. But the era that he disappeared in was too early for the death eater murders, too early by about four years. Voldemort was still recruiting.  
  
Sirius stopped, "Voldemort was still recruiting." he repeated his thoughts. "Thats why you disappeared you sick idiot."  
  
Then he remembered, he'd seen that face recently, too recently for comfort, and he wasn't thinking of Edea, he'd mistaken that face for his wife but it hadnt been, but he couldnt remember where he had seen that face.  
****  
  
  
  
Edea drove her new Mercedes through the less busy country roads of north England. Unused collieries scattered the landscape, the mining towers looked ugly and black against the green of the fields. She knew the general direction of Hogsmeade, but specifics she would work out when she got in the area. She was just swapping her sunglasses for her ordinary glasses she used for looking at distaces when on instict she braked hard as something greyish white dashed out infront of the wheels.  
  
Edea slammed open her car door and ran over to the limp creature beside her wheel, her shock dissolved as a strangely evil grin settled on her features.   
  
"Peter, how nice of you to join me."  
****  
  
  
  
Harry stood up, holding his father's wand in his hand, and the vial containing the portkey in the other. he had slung the carpet bag over his shoulder.  
  
"Harry? Harry Potter?"  
  
Harry looked across at the man with the confident smile on his face, standing under an umbrella. "Yes?"  
  
"Look at you! You must be soaked through!" The man walked up to him, "DuCruet, Donovan DuCruet."  
  
Harry did the smallest of double takes. "DuCruet?"  
  
Donovan nodded, "Pleased to meet you, believe me, my sister has told me so much about you."  
  
"Edea never said anything..." Harry looked up at the man, he did indeed look just like her, maybe slightly older and haggard, but a DuCruet all the same.  
  
"No," Donovan let out a laugh, "I didn't think she had."  
  
Harry took a step back, Mad Eye Moody's words "constant vigilance" ringing in his ears. "I should be getting back, my godfather's expecting me..."  
  
"Nono, dont worry." Donovan shook his head, "Sirius said it was fine, we met earlier."  
  
"You did?"  
  
"yes of course, goodness how that man's changed... anyway, look, i can see you dont trust me, how can i earn your trust?" Donovan looked at Harry with eyes that unnervingly resembled those of Edea.  
  
"I... er.." Harry was at a loss, if he was Edea's brother then surely he was a good person? He looked trustworthy, and he said he'd just seen Sirius...  
  
"Come inside Godric's gift, we can catch up a bit. I'm sure i have much to tell you." Donovan guided Harry toawrds the pub. "You're never too young to drink."  
  
They never got any further than the entrance. Donovan had changed the door into a portkey, so the moment they both touched it, it took them to a totally different place, Harry realised his mistake only seconds too late.  
****  
  
  
"Donovan... Donovan... think think think... goddamn you..." Sirius hit the picture with his fist, it flew across the grass, landing next to a picture of the group outside James local- the Godric's Gift pub. Sirius's eyes widened. "Oh dear God... Harry."  
  
He had disapparated, leaving his wallet and pictures strewn around the grass.  
  
"Harry!" Sirius choked as he appeared to see Harry and Donovan disappear. He ran up to the door, bu it had gone, an empty frame left in its place. He turned to look at the shocked occupants of the bar- "Strong wind." he said quickly, "Took the door off its hinges, nothing to worry about."  
He had to get Dumbledore, and he had to get him now. "Left no traces, goddamn him." As a professional, Donovan had masked the portkey, and had covered his chances by distorting the possible portkey residue charms, so its destination or bandwidth could not be found.  
  
Sirius picked up a battered wand on the ground. "James?" He said incredulously. "What the hell?"  
****  
  
  
  
"What are you doing here.... and why the hell are you a rat?" Edea asked, holding the rat up by its tail. "Why aren't you a snake?"  
  
She poked him with her wand, and he turned into a human form of Wormtail, looking decidedly worse for wear, there was no trace of Voldemort anywhere on him.  
  
"Well?" She asked.  
  
"I... I... He... My master..."  
  
Edea rolled her eyes, "Sentences please."  
  
"He worked out... what to do... he my lord..."  
  
"yes i know he's your lord, whatever blah blah, get in the car- now." Edea pushed him through the passenger door, locking it with her wand. "You transform and you know how quick i can go after you."  
  
"My leg.. you ran over.. my leg."  
  
"Did i? So sorry." Edea smirked, without a trace of symapthy. "Just wait till Moony and Paddy see you..."  
  
"You wouldn't... You can't."  
  
"And why would i not?" Edea asked, putting the car in fourth gear, driving at a stupidly fast speed down the dirt track.  
  
"I have information... you might w.. want."  
  
"Really." Edea laughed, "I'm perfectly able to work out clues by myself... But first, you're going to explain why Voldemort isnt sharing your pathetic form."  
  
  
TBC  



	22. Stop the car ma'am

  
  
part twenty two  
***************  
hehehehee we have Voldie back. yay... or maybe not so yay.  
***************  
  
  
"Where... where am i?" Harry asked Donovan.  
  
"You're on death's doorstep." Donovan smiled curtly, "I will be rewarded beyond my imaginable desires for bringing the infamous last Potter to his Lordship."  
  
"You... you're a death eater." Harry said with conviction. "Thats why Edea never said.."  
  
"Edea doesnt know i'm still here." Donovan said with glee, "But yes, i am a death eater, always have been. I'm sorry to say that had Edea followed my footsteps as she should have done, she would have been a great asset to my master's cause, as would Sirius Black, but no matter, we have what we came for."  
  
"I won't join him." Harry said stubbornly,  
  
"Oh he doesnt want you to join, he wants to kill you." Donovan straightened the cuffs of his sleeves, "Theres a difference."  
  
****  
  
  
  
  
"Like i said..." Peter was still shaking, more to do with the atrocious driving Edea was performing than his own fears. "My master always finds a way."  
  
"So Lucius Malfoy's out and helped dear old Voldie escape your form, yah?" Edea swerved, narrowly missing a rabbit on the road.  
  
Peter flinched, "Y...yes.... can you... slow down?"  
  
Edea grinned, and floored the accelerator, "Nuh-uh."  
  
"You... you're not perfect... he will catch you..." Peter stuttered, gripping onto the seat, he was now sweating furiously, his hands shaking like leaves in a gale.  
  
"I know, i wouldnt want to be perfect, if you're perfect you have nothing to strive towards, see?" Edea screched round a corner, turning off the dirt track and onto some pre-neolithic type of road, "If your dear master wants me, he'll have to come and get me, no questions asked, however, he sends his minions to do the dirty work, thats just cowardice."  
  
"I... i'm not doing the dirty work for.. his.. lordship." Peter looked down, "I... have been assigned another task..."  
  
Edea slammed on the brakes for the second time that drive, the car came to a burning halt, tyre marks stretched out behind them. "Oh?"  
  
"Like i said... if you let me live... i... i'll tell you."  
  
"Why do i really not believe you, whats in this for you?" Edea asked, her face inches away from his. "You wouldnt be doing this if it didnt have some presonal gratification."  
  
"I... I..."  
  
"I see." Edea grinned, "I get it now, Voldemort's not the biggest bully in the playground any more is he, he cant protect you. So.. you come crawling back over here, for your safety, yes?"  
  
"NO!" Peter shook his head, "Its nothing like that."  
  
"Then what IS it like?"  
  
"I cant tell you.." Peter was eyeing his possible escape routes nervously.  
  
"Yes you can." Edea grabbed a handful of his robes, "You will tell me, or you'll go back out there a lesser man than you started off as."  
  
Peter squeaked, glancing up at the sunroof. Closed, but not locked.  
  
"Ma'am, can i see your driving license please?" A policeman on his motorbike had pulled up beside Edea's window. "I've had reports of a car matching your description speeding through the last few villages at way over the speed limit. Woud you step out of the car please?"  
  
Edea glared furiously at the policeman before opening the door carefully making sure Peter was secure inside and rummaging round in her bag. She turned round from the car to hand the policeman her ID and suddenly a sliding noise and a loud pop took her attention back to the car, she turned round just in time to see a rat climb out of the sunroof and streak into the field on the other side of the road. Edea slammed her fist down onto the car bonnet furiously.   
  
"Look what you've done!" Edea screamed at the shocked policeman, "YOU LET HIM GET AWAY!"  
  
"ma'am... please... calm down.. or i'll have to arrest you... totally unnacceptable..."  
  
"Do you know what this is?" Edea pulled out her wand, "This is my best friend, my best friend has special abilities to make you forget things."  
  
The policeman laughed at her, "You're threatening me... with a stick?"  
  
"Obliviate." Edea hissed as the policeman's grin dissapeared, being replaced by a look of thoughtless bliss. "Enjoy your day, sir." She said stuffily as she climbed back into her car and hit her head against the steering wheel repeatedly.  
****  
  
  
  
"Sherbet lemons.... er.. no maybe not.. fizzing whisbees... no? er... okay um... bertie botts everyflavour beans.... not thet either? oh dear...well... um... apple twists.... peppermint toads... for god's sake.... polos... nutella..."  
  
At this the gargoyle jumped out of the way... Sirius paused, "Nutella? What a choice." He hurried off up to Dumbledore's office, taking the stairs two at a time.  
  
"Professor? Dumbledore?? HELP?" He burst into the office, where Profesor Dumbeldore was looking out of the window,   
  
"I saw you coming." He murmured quietly, "Strange things are happening today."  
  
"I know.. look, its Harry... he's been taken by er... Donovan DuCruet."  
  
Whatever Dumbledore was waiting for, this was not what he was expecting, his eyebrows raised. "Donovan Edward DuCruet?"  
  
"The very same." Sirius said with menace. "He took Harry... outside the pub in Godrics Hollow, changed the door into a portkey, but the traces were scrambled and i couldnt take any information about where they went to... but i have a suspicion."  
  
"DuCruet? That old gryffindor prefect?" Severus Snape had been sitting in a corner chair, and Sirius had not as yet noticed him. "He's a death eater."  
  
Sirius rolled his eyes, "I KNOW that NOW."  
  
"Gentlemen please... keep your catfights for later." Dumbledore said, shaking his head.  
  
Snape was about to comment, but was silenced by the door once again getting slammed open and a breathless Edea practically falling through the door.  
  
"Pettigrew." She gasped, falling to the floor. She stood up again, her knees shakey, she grabbed onto the arm Sirius offered, "Got away... the little bugger."  
  
"Where Eds?" Sirius said urgently, "Where was he?"  
  
"Somewhere in one of the roads outside Hogsmeade, i ran him over... he's injured, but i got flagged down by the local bobbies."  
  
"You ran him over? what were you doing? rollerskating?" Snape asked, smirking at her.  
  
"I was driving, thank you very much."  
  
"Driving, oh well, yes you run everything over in your sight when you're in one of those ghastly muggle contraptions.. i shouldn't wonder...."  
  
"SHUT UP." Sirius yelled at Snape, who sneered back, but stopped talking.  
  
"What if i told you that i knew the probable location of DuCruet, and Voldemort? Still want me to shut up, Black?" Snape leered.  
  
"Where's your guess?" Dumbledore asked,  
  
"Do you remember the location of the Riddle house? It now lays empty for tax reasons, but a few years back the gardener was murdered, you said?"  
  
"Yes i believe i do recollect that." Dumbledore nodded,  
  
"No muggle goes near that house, and its not out of fear, its charmed." Snape said slowly, absently picking at the corner of his sleeve. "That would be my guess."  
  
"Why?" Edea asked, "Wouldn't that place be obvious?"  
  
"If he's been regenerated, as is to be believed," Snape started, "Then he'd either need the blood of those who were involved in his er... death.. or he'd need to have the "presence" of those he's killed, but not just anybody, blood relations."  
  
"Parents, grand parents, blah blah." Edea conjured a glass of water, and gulped down the contents, "CLever little boy isnt he."  
  
"He wasnt named the most evil, dark wizard since Grindlewald for nothing you know." Sirius rolled his eyes, but then walked over to Snape, "Where is it?"  
  
"I can arrange a portkey." Dumbledore took out a pendant from his drawer, "Let me have a moment to disclose the location to the magic, i will not tell you outright as it may be taken from you if you are questioned when found, if indeed you are found at all..."  
  
"Its nice to know you have so much faith in us." Edea mumbled. "Endearing.."  
  
"Come on. Maybe we should tell the others." Sirius said pointedly to Edea and Snape, "You can tell the Slytherins or something."  
  
"No wait." Edea stopped outside the gargoyle, "Potions, i need to get some ingredients."  
  
"Which ones." Snape asked suspiciously.   
  
"Arsenic, whatever poisons you happen to have lying around."  
  
Snape was visibly ruffled "I do not leave then LYING AROUND, each one has its place..."  
****  
  
  
"We come one." Voldemort smiled at his congregation, "All together we are one form, one movement, one solid wall of dark power."  
  
"Are you trying to act like Hitler?" Harry mumbled under his breath, but sadly it was just loud enough for Voldemort to hear.  
  
"Ah yes, Harry James Potter, once again you stand before me, alone this time i see." Voldemort stood up and walked over to him, "You see. i am in one form again, free from the restrictions of Wormtail's body. I am a sole survivor of my kind, the only being ever to achieve such a status in this pitiful existence."  
  
Harry realised he was still holding the carpet bag in his hand, he must have made some movement, because Voldemort's gaze settled onto the bag.  
  
"What do we have here?" Voldemort poited his wand at the bag, "Accio!"  
  
The bag did not move.  
  
"You have a theft proof bag, Potter? Surely the contents cannot be so precious." Voldemort reached out to it, but Harry jerked away, out of the grasp of Donovan DuCruet. The wall of remaining death eaters close in on him, leaving him no path for escape. Donovan tristed Harry's arm, who let go of the bag with a pain filled shout.  
  
"Let me see let me see..." Voldemort muttered, opening the clasp of the bag.   
  
The light from the bag blinded the small room, and Voldemort was thrown across the room...  
  
TBC  
  
  
  
a/n no its not acliffhanger, just a convenient place to stop for a cup of tea, see? Go on, go get yourself a mug of tea and a biscuit... yay. cookies... ( ) cookie - 


	23. The Riddle House

  
  
part twenty three  
***************  
hehehehee harry and a carpet bag.. strange image that is.... i have some fanart of sirius up at- http://www.geocities.com/halutirius/  
  
***************  
  
"Deadly nightshade... that's useful, okay, pour some in here, and mix it with a level teaspoon of that orange goo over there." Edea was sifting through Snape's potion cabinets, picking things out and dropping them into a cauldron at random. The result was a sort of multicoloured think gloopy syrup.  
  
"And what do you plan to do with this er... goo?" Snape asked, worried that it might explode at any minute.  
  
"Watch." Edea pulled out her wand and conjured up a crossbow, she took an arrow and dipped the tip into the goo, she loaded the crossbow and fired the arrow at the blackboard.  
  
TWUNK  
  
The blackboard sizzled as the goo slid down it. When it had stopped sizzling, they could see the wall behind it.  
  
"It strips off any outer layers, basically that works for any magical shields too, it dissolves them, it'll dissolve anything but bone."  
  
"And you just worked that out now, i mean i've never seen..." Snape pulled the arrow out of the wall  
  
"I just made that up now, thats right."  
  
"Can you remeber what you put in it?" Snape asked, quill at the ready.  
  
"Nope." Edea shook her head, "I was being creative."  
  
Sirius was busy pouring the contents of the cauldron into little vials which he put into his pockets. "Someone needs to get Moony."  
  
"I have already alerted Minerva about the werewolf, he'll be there, don't worry your pathetic self." Snape sneered.  
****  
  
  
"Holy...." Donovan gasped as Harry's bag started to shudder. "Somebody get that bag!"  
  
Nobody moved, everyone was watching the pure white light, it was holding them captive with its brightness, very much in the same way that a lightbulb attracts a moth.  
  
Voldemort stood up, his red eyes blazing with fury. "Stop it." He froze as the brightness took form.  
  
"Dad?" Harry muttered, trying to make out the figure, "DAD?"  
  
"What is the meaning of this?" Donovan pounded forward, reached out to the bag, "OW, BLOODY HELL...." He pulled his hand back, it was covered in burns.   
  
The gleaming white figure turned round to face Donovan, and smirked, "Oh, sorry."  
  
"Dad?" Harry tried to move forward but was stopped by a pale while sickly looking hand gripping his shoulder. "Get off me, get off." He was searching his pockets for his wand...   
  
"Malfoy." James Potter raised an eyebrow, "I suggest you let go of my son."  
  
Lucius took no notice and raise his free hand.  
  
The last thing Harry remembered was seeing Malfoy's fist heading towards his face.  
  
"James Potter...." Voldemort laughed, "James James James." He gripped his wand tightly in his right hand, behind him, Wormtail cowered in the sight of his old friend.  
  
"You cant touch me, Voldemort." James smiled sadly, "I'm not here," He raised his hand towards Lucius Malfoy, who suddenly made a gesture to pull at whatever was choking him... "I'm everywhere."  
  
Voldemort made a movement towards Harry's unconscious form but a shout from above him stopped him in his tracks.  
  
"JAMES?" Remus was hanging from a chandelier. "JAMES, PRONGS? IS THAT YOU?"  
  
"Avada Kedavra!" Voldemort aimed his wand at Remus, who dodged, but the curse hit the chain holding up the chandelier, which came crashing down to the ground covering Remus in thousands of bits of glass and plaster from the ceiling.  
  
THWUNK.   
  
An orange arrow hit Walden MacNair in the back, the sight was horrifying, and Wormtail hid behind a tapestry. MacNairs skin seemed to tighten, then crawl up in sudden wrinkles, throughout, he remained in a stunned silence, unable to speak, his mouth was open as if he was screaming, but no sound came out. The wrinkles of skin suddenly started fizzing, hissing and boiling over until ther was nothing left but a badly burnt skeleton.  
  
Voldemort whipped round, trying to see where the arrow had come from.  
  
THWUNK.   
  
Another arrow had hit the already choking form of Lucius Malfoy. The same fate awaited him. This arrow came from the opposite side of the large ballroom.  
  
THWUNK.  
  
Yet another arrow, coming from another side of the room hit the main dinner table which dissolved before Voldemort's eyes.  
  
"Ohhh," Wormtail cowered as he realised there was a wand sticking in his back, forcing him foward.   
  
"Wormtail... what is this nonsense?" Voldemort shouted, as his small servant was pushed forward by a cloaked figure.  
  
"Reveal Yourself." Voldemort pointed his wand at the figure, whose hood blew back. "Severus Snape, what a nice surprise. Crucio!"  
  
Snape's screams echoed through the chamber, his body wracked with pain.  
  
THWUNK.  
  
An arrow flew past Voldemort's ear, landing in the candelabra on the remaining part of the table.  
  
The glowing James had helped Remus out of the rubble and was healing his broken leg, when the doors burst open at the end of the room.  
  
"Showtime." Sirius grimaced, as over a hundred small hogwarts house elves poured into the chamber, doing their best to attack the death eaters who were firing curses in all directions, Avery was trying to climb a tapestry whilst a house elf hung onto his ankle, Crabbe was rolling over on the floor trying to get out the house elf that had climbed up his trouser leg and was proceeding to bite his thigh, it was a chaos.  
  
"Someone get Harry out of here...." James shouted over the din.  
  
Edea jumped down off the ledge she had been firing arrows off and picked up Harry, "I'll meet you outside, i'll see if he wakes up."  
  
Voldemort had taken no notice of the disruptions and was still making Snape pay for his "traitor streak" he was so caught up that he didnt see Sirius Black sneak up behind him, a long metal chain in his hands.   
  
"MASTER!" Donovan shrieked as Sirius jumped up onto Voldemort and wrapped the chain around his neck, bringing them both down onto the floor. Severus got up, and promptly fell down again, he reached out for his wand and aimed it at the chandelier that was still in one piece at the other end of the room. "Wingardium Leviosa!" He shouted, the chandelier broke off its hangings and drifted across the room, hovering above a retreating Wormtail, before coming crashing down, pinning him to the floor.  
  
Voldemort threw Sirius off his back. Sirius flew across the on a collision course with a very spikey open iron maiden. He stopped in mid-air, and suddenly flew in the opposite direction, hitting an overstuffed recliner.  
"Thanks, James." Sirius muttered, as he slid over the edge to the floor.  
  
Remus winced as he saw Sirius fly across the room, that looked nasty, he turned round, startled as a chunk of his hair was sliced off by a passing curse.   
  
"Serpensortia." Voldemort thundered, a large black python was now standing (well, sliding actually) between the death eaters and the remaining opposition.  
  
"Where's a parselmouth when you need one." Remus frowned as the snake hissed at him.  
  
"Reducio!" Snape shouted from under a mountain of tapestry cloth. The snake shrank to the size of a worm, which Remus quickly made redundant by summoning towards the iron maiden's spikes.  
  
"Incendio." Henry Bode, a new Death Eater threw a wall of fire at the table, which started burning with fury,   
  
Sirius retaliated by aiming his wand at the death eater. "Petrificus Totalus."  
  
"Aquasus." Voldemort pointed at the floor which quickly turned into a boiling pool of bottomless water.  
  
"Aqua-piedus." Remus pointed at himself, then Snape, and Sirius. They all rose above the water and found that they could walk about as normal.   
  
"Locomotor mortis!" Gregorovic pointed at Sirius, who suddenly found himself sinking below the surface.  
  
"James?" Remus shouted out, "JAMES?"  
  
"Shut up, wolf." Snape shouted over the din, "He wont hear you, he's not even real... Listen, we need to get rid of this water if we're going to do anything."  
  
"Mobilicorpus!" Remus pointed at the sinking Sirius, who now found himself hanging above water, somewhere near the ceiling.  
  
"Gee, thanks so much." Sirius said sarcastically, as he now became the object of many hexes and curses that flew in his direction, being an easy target.  
  
"Finite Incantatem." Snape yelled, as Sirius fell back to the water, free of all hexes.  
****  
  
  
"Harry, wake up... WAKE UP..." Edea shook the unconscious Harry. "Enervate!" Nothing happened. "Okay, we do this the muggle way." Edea gave Harry a fiece slap round the face, which brought him backto reality with a shout. "DAD?"  
  
"Do i look like James to you?" Edea snarked. "Listen to me, i've got to get back in there, promise me you'll stay here."  
  
"I promise." Harry nodded as Edea started running back towards the main chamber, out of which smoke and waves were pouring out of the high windows, until with a sudden explosion, the roof blew off completely, taking a few bodies with it.  
  
Harry stopped as he saw a broomstick lying across a low wall. He shrugged, maybe he could be of some help after all. His wand was safely tucked away in his pocket, he took off upon the broom.  
****  
  
TBC  
  
a/n James isnt real. its an apparition, well obviously cuz in general alive people dont glow do they? for clues as to why, think chamber of secrets, think tom riddle, then you've got the reason why james is there.  



	24. Totalum annientamentus!

  
  
part twenty four  
***************  
not much to say other than fight scenes arent my strong point. obviously.  
***************  
  
"Headmaster.. i've just received a very intriguing owl from the Improper Use of Magic Office and the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad." Professor McGonagall said with a hint of disdain. "It seems that whatever you sent some of the staff out to do has backfired rather badly. We've had a lot of muggles reporting to police that the Riddle house has been acting... strangely... in the past half hour, and theres someone on a broomstick flying overhead."  
  
"Oh dear." Dumbledore frowned, his eyes glittering behind his half moon glasses, "It seems that the discreet operation has gone slightly past the discreet marker."  
  
"Is this to do with... You-Know-Who?" McGonagall saw Dumbledore's face... "Oh alright... *Voldemort*... is this to do with him?"   
  
"I'm afraid it is." Dumbledore nodded, "But you understand, i can't interfere."  
  
"Whyever not?" McGonagall looked scolded, "Everybody knows you're the only person he's afraid of..."  
  
Dumbledore looked at her with sad eyes, "That is exactly my point, do you not see? I won't be here forever, however impossible that may seem to you."  
  
"Don't talk that way.."  
  
"And when i am not here, who are the people going to turn to? They have got used to sending their problems my way when they are in need of help that nobody else can give them, they are used to taking the easy road out of danger, but it is not going to last for long, i need to build up their singular strength in preparation for that time, however far away or close it is."  
  
"But you dont see...."  
  
"You only see what your eyes want to see, the blind man can take in so much more and understand things better than someone with their full sight." Dumbledore glanced over at the phoenix. "I would like it for you to replace me, when the time comes."  
  
"headmaster!" McGonagall once again looked shocked, "I... I..."  
  
"Don't thank me now, thank me when you understand what this is going to mean to you."  
****  
  
  
If the Riddle family had been alive to witness the destruction of their house, it would have astounded them. Once the pride and joy of the village, was now a twisted burning shell of anger and pain. The wreckage spanned the entire garden, and spilled out into the road.  
  
Inside, there was chaos. If possible, the amount of death eaters seemed to be indirectly proportional to the amount of Phoenixes, when one of the phoenixes or house elves died, it seemed that another death eater appeared from nowhere. No side was winning. Voldemort was standing at the back of the room surveying the damage, it was a waste of valuable time.  
  
"Sirius!" Harry shouted from above, "Sirius get on the broom."  
  
"Harry!" Sirius shouted, dodging a particularly vicious impedimentia curse that whizzed past his thigh, "No, i can't. I have to stay.. you go, go find help, i dont care who it is. Just go get somebody, Dumbledore, The Queen on Constantinople, i dont care.. just get someone." He suddenly handed up a bag, "Here take this with you, it needs to be safe."  
  
Harry grabbed the bag and flew straight up, gaining speed, it was only when he looked back down that he heard that cold high voice echoing through the walls, a curse he'd never heard before, a curse less deadly than the unforgiveables, but a thousand times more destructive.  
  
"Totalum annientamentus!"   
  
The house blew, the entire house went up in a cloud of smoke and debris. It was all Harry could do to fly out of the danger area, he hovered in the air and a choked cry came out of his mouth "Sirius? Remus?"  
  
"Fly Harry." A voice came from behind him. A shining figure on a broom beside him. "Dont think about them, fly to Dumbledore, they'll be alright, but they need you to get help."  
  
"Dad... I can't leave them." Harry shouted angrily at the shadow.  
  
"If you want your life to be worth anything, you'll find the strength inside yourself to fly out of this, trust me. I can't stay here for long, but i know what i'm saying, fly like the wind."  
  
The shadow faded, retreated into Harry's bag, and Harry didn't give it a second glance, he sped off in a north easterly direction, and hoped to whoever above that might be listening to him right now that somebody would help him.  
****  
  
  
  
"R.. Remus?" Peter croaked, pulling on a dirty bleeding hand from under a roof beam. "R... Remus, is that you? Oh god.... don't be dead... Remus... Remus..." Peter stood alone, climbing over the weckage of the magnificent mansion. Voldemort had disappeared just as the house fell, no doubt leaving the fate of his servants to their divine luck. Peter saw something else, a leg was it? He couldn't tell, it was at such an awkward angle, but he recognised the leather, who wouldnt? He jumped over a smashed gargoyle and tried to lift some of the stone. "S..Sirius?" The leg twitched, and a faint groan could be heard. Peter glanced over at the smouldering remains of a tapestry and rushed over, picking it up and running back to Sirius. "P... please... j..just dont move..." He lifted off some rubble and pushed a few pieces of wood aside. Sirius looked up through his bloodstained hair and let out a bloodcurdling scream.   
  
"GET AWAY FROM ME YOU LOUSY EXCUSE FOR HUMAN FLESH" Sirius grasped his leg, "Broken... oh god that hurts."  
  
"R....Remus.. you need to get.. he's... i have to..." Peter stuttered, gesturing wildly.  
  
"WHat?" Sirius tried to sit up, failing miserably. "Don't you touch him, scum."  
  
"I... I'm sorry... I..." Peter whispered, not believing the words coming out of his mouth. From the lok that Sirius gave him, it looked like he didn't believe Peter either.  
  
"Peter... as far as i'm concerned, You. Don't. Exist." Sirius said in a menacingly low cruel voice. His eyes reduced to slits, filled with utter loathing.  
  
"Sorry." Peter choked, close to tears, "i didn't mean..."  
  
"SORRY? YOU'RE SORRY? YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN SORRY A LONG TIME AGO... I WENT TO AZKABAN BECAUSE OF YOU! I SPENT THIRTEEN YEARS OF TORTURE FOR SOMETHING YOU DID. YOU'VE TAKEN AWAY TWO OF THE BEST PEOPLE THAT I'VE EVER KNOWN. YOU LEFT THEIR SON TO FEND FOR HIMSELF WITH MUGGLE HALF-WITS." Sirius didn't realise he was sobbing at this point, he kept going, dragging himself up onto his elbows. "SORRY?!? YOU'RE TOO LATE TO BE SORRY. BECAUSE OF YOU SO MANY PEOPLES LIVES HAVE BEEN RUINED. WHAT THE HELL DID YOU WANT TO ACHIEVE?"  
  
The colour drained from Peter's face as he saw a shadow towering over him.  
  
"Petrificus Totalus."   
  
Peter fell to the rubble, crushing Sirius's good leg under his weight.  
  
"Black. Get up." Snape sneered, kicking Peter off Sirius's leg.  
  
"Can't you see that i can't get up you stupid half wit." Sirius rolled his eyes. "Remus is over there, don't bother with me, just get Remus out."  
  
Snape limped over to where the bloddy arm was protruding from under a thick wooden beam, the blood had stained the marble underneath. Severus pointed his wand at the beam. "Wingardium Leviosa."  
  
His wand splintered in his hands, it imploded, and fell to the rubble in bits. Snape looked down at the wand fragments with a mixture of shock and disgust. "Stupid peice of worthless wood." He scowled, before tugging at the beam himself. As he moved it upwards, a shower of plaster and dust threatened to give way from above. He realised that the beam was holding up the rest of the precariously balanced ceiling fragments.  
  
Sirius dragged himself out of the hole he had fallen into and was using his arms to pull himself off the rubble. Hs broken leg was twisted at an awful angle and was causing pain to shoot up his leg every time he moved. Then a thought hit him. "Edea?"  
  
"Mrrver mmmmmeeeerrrr." He heard a voice reply.   
  
"Where?" Sirius shouted.  
  
"Mmmmrrrhhhpppelp mmee."  
  
"I cant, love, i cant walk. Can you tell me what it looks like where you are?"  
  
"Dark, cramped, lost my friggin wand." Edea called out clearer this time. "Can't you blast me out of this?"  
  
"No wand." Sirius shook his head, trying to find the origin of her voice.  
  
"Sir sir!" A small house elf came running up, wearing a dirty ripped teacosy on his head. "Sir, i is helping you get out Miss professor lady from the stone... i is having your wand safely here."  
  
Sirius looked down in surprise at the elf, and gratefully took his wand. "Accio Edea!"   
  
Edea came flying out of a pile of rubble and hit him in the chest, knocking them both over. Sirius hissed with pain as his leg gave him a new shot of fire.  
  
"Dobby is healing sirs leg, sir must get his Lupin out of rubble, Professor Potions is not so well going." Dobby used his own kind of house elf magic that was more commonly used in tidying up homes to heal the gash on Sirius's leg, the bone had been crudely rejoined, it wasn't perfect but it was enough to walk on, gingerly.  
  
"Remus!" Sirius called out loudly, pushing Snape aside. "What the hell are you doing under here."  
  
Remus didn't answer.  
  
"Urm.. Sirius?" Edea pulled Sirius away from the beam, and pointed at what the beam was holding up.  
  
"Oh." Sirius looked defeated. "Listen, Remus, if you can hear me, can you move your hand, or a finger or something."  
  
Nothing moved.  
  
"Shit." Sirius announced finally. "This is not good, Eds, what happened to your wand?"  
  
"When Voldemort blew up the house, it got blown out of my hands, it disappeared in the cloud of smoke."  
  
"And what about you?" Sirius asked Snape, who pointed at the broken wood beside Sirius's feet. "Ah." Sirius looked at the broken wand and something beside it caught his eye. A twisted piece of metal that had once held up one of the tapestries.  
  
"You're going to use a metal bar... yeah... very clever." Snape snarked,   
  
"Watch this." Sirius rolled his eyes, hooking the bar under a corner of the beam. "Something Harry told me, muggles do this."   
  
He pushed down on the bar, which lifted the beam up enough for Edea to wedge a mini obelisk under it, so it held the beam up, but kept the rubble from falling.  
  
"Clever isn't it." Sirius smiled at Snape. His expession changed however when he saw what looked like the rest of Remus. "Moony? Remus Jihad Lupin get up or i'll have to call your parents."  
  
Snape twitched, "Jihad?" he asked.  
  
"Joking." Sirius answered, "it usually got him going before."  
  
Snape pushed past Sirius, and crawled under the beam which creaked warningly, he reached out to Remus' other wrist. "He's still here. Unconscious. Someone arange a portkey to Hogsmeade... NOW."  
  
Edea picked up a piece of rubble and took it to a corner where she was holding Sirius's wand over it, muttering something about "Self-satisfied idiotic ex-death eaters."   
  
TBC 


	25. the conclusion - finally!!!

If you want to destroy my sweater- the long awaited chapter 25.  
  
This will be the final chapter I'm afraid, I have other stories to write- like moonlit horizons which is getting good. I'm sorry I left it so long, but I got really bored with this storyline (or lack of) so there you go. You know, this has been so long that I've forgotten what I wrote for the last chapter apart from that remus was in distress.... Uhm... right... the edea in this story has nothing to do with the edea in MH by the way, in case you were wondering even tho they're very similar. This was written in my Sirius phase, I'm now in A SNAPEY PHASE!!!  
******************  
The conclusion of a very long winded 3 part story) its going to be short purely because I don't like this, and I want to get it over with.  
*******************  
  
  
Back at Hogwarts, Remus had been taken to the hospital wing immediately, with a very worried Harry asking what had happened. Peter had been taken straight to the ministry of magic, and was being tested with Veritaserum. The unofficial word was that Sirius Black was now free, even though he had had his trial weeks before, it had not been marked down in any form of official wording, but it looked promising now. Sirius was sitting on a chair, having his leg magically re-cast, and Snape had just left after receiving the same treatment. He was brooding in his dungeons. The ministry officials were at the scene of the Riddle house. Voldemort's broken and bloodied remains had been brought out on a slab of stone, it seemed unbelievable that he had destroyed himself in the process, but all evidence pointed towards exactly that.   
  
"Has he really gone?" Sirius asked Harry across the room, "I honestly didn't see much, I thought you might have, being up on the broom and everything."  
  
"I heard him shout the curse... but my dad... he told me to go... I didn't have a choice." Harry looked down. "The diary, his diary... it's not working anymore... I just wanted to talk to him... tell him some stuff... but it won't open anymore."   
  
"Give it to Dumbledore." Edea muttered, feeling Remus' forehead. "He's coming here soon, had to talk to Arabella about Voldemort. Neither of them believe he's gone for good."  
  
"But it's a start, even if it's just another twelve or so years, right?" Harry looked pleadingly at Sirius. "Even if it's just for a while, it's better than nothing."  
  
"I have to agree with you, but it we can hit him when he's down it would be even better. We cant just keep hitting him then letting him fall and re-grow and hit him again and again it'll become a vicious circle." Siirus buried his head in his bandaged hands. "Oh Remus mate, you've got to get your arse back in gear."  
  
Remus didn't move.  
  
Harry leaned back in a spare chair. "I've still got his sweater."  
"Who's? James?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Good for you." Sirius smiled weakly, "you know, I've had bones re-set so many times, but this hurts so much more."  
  
"When you and Edea get a house, can I live with you again?"  
  
"Well where else were you going to live?" Sirius rolled his eyes. "With those low life Dursleys? I think not."  
  
"Thanks." Harry murmured. "I just think I'm going to wake up, and this will all be one long and incredibly detailed dream."  
  
"Bloody hell if it was a dream, Harry mate, I want to know where all the nude women are." Sirisu looked round expectantly.  
  
"Is that all you e...ever think a...about?" A croaky voice stuttered  
  
"REMUS!" Sirius practically threw himself at Remus who was gingerly opening one eye, croaking out words.  
  
"REMUS!" Harry shouted in surprise, joining Sirius in the mad rush to hug Remus.  
  
"You dipstick, what do you think you were going to do mate? Die on me?" Sirius was almost crying with laughter.  
  
"If you want to destroy my sweater you're going the right way about it." Remus coughed out, wary of Sirius and Harry tugging at the tatters of his jumper.  
  
"Don't need to mate, you've already done that." Sirius groaned. "Oh! The irony! Save me!"  
  
"Back to usual for him then." Remus asked Harry.  
  
"Back to usual." Harry nodded, smiling. 


End file.
